CHARLOTTE, N.C. (CNS) – A federal judge has dismissed Belmont Abbey College’s lawsuit against the Obama administration that had challenged the federal contraception mandate, but lawyers for the Benedictine college in Belmont say they will continue the fight. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg of the District of Columbia dismissed Belmont Abbey’s case, saying that […]
HHS mandate
HHS Mandate Controversy Continues – Cardinal Supports Conscience Provisions in Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities praised lawmakers for including two conscience provisions in the House version of the 2013 appropriations bill for the federal departments of Labor and Health and Human Services. “Our government has a long history of respecting rights of conscience in health care, and […]
Call for Unity in Fight vs. HHS Mandate
WASHINGTON (CNS) – All Americans, whatever their faith or political party, should stand united in defense of religious liberty, said speakers at the recent National Religious Freedom Conference in Washington. “This is a bipartisan issue. This is an American issue. Religious freedom is at the core of what it means to be American,” said Brian […]
Dioceses, Agencies Sue Over HHS Mandate
by Nancy Frazier O’Brien WASHINGTON (CNS) – Forty-three Catholic dioceses, schools, hospitals, social service agencies and other institutions filed suit in federal court May 21 to stop three government agencies from implementing a mandate that would require them to cover contraceptives and sterilization in their health plans. “Through this lawsuit, plaintiffs do not seek to […]
Media Mislead Public on HHS Mandate
by Liz O’Connor LEVITTOWN, Pa. (CNS) – The mass media have done the public a disservice by consistently referring to health reform law regulations so narrowly as the “contraceptive mandate,” because it leads people to think the regulations are a matter of interest only to Catholics, according to Harvard Law professor Mary Ann Glendon. Rather, […]
Rallies Across Nation Protest HHS Mandate
WASHINGTON (CNS) – People gathered March 23 in front of U.S. courthouses, state capitols and historic sites to support religious freedom and protest a federal mandate they say violates that freedom by requiring most religious employers to provide no-cost contraceptive coverage even it is contrary to their beliefs. All of the events, held at noon […]
Prayers for Religious Liberty
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The U.S. bishops urged Catholics and “all people of faith” across the nation to observe March 30 as a day of prayer and fasting for religious freedom and conscience protection. The bishops announced the day-long observance in a statement titled “United for Religious Freedom” that was approved by the U.S. Conference of […]
HHS Mandate and Religious Freedom
by Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk On Jan. 20, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a mandate placing First Amendment rights and religious freedom in the crosshairs. The mandate, as a provision of ObamaCare, requires “preventive health services” to be covered by all health insurance issuers and all group health plans. Those insurance […]
It’s About Religion, Not Contraception
by Stephen Kent Spending a week with our two-year-old granddaughter reintroduced me to the experience of the insincere “whoops” or the impenitent “sorry.” Neither represents penance nor a firm purpose of amendment. There was a similar feeling to hear President Barack Obama offer his “revision,” “compromise” or “walking some parts back” to the mandate […]