| September 5, 2011 | Volume 86, Number 23 | |
|
|
Rise Up! Our Freedom of Conscience is Under AttackOne of the most basic protections enshrined in our nation’s Constitution is being threatened by our own federal government. The right to follow the dictates of one’s conscience is rooted in natural law, and the law of this land. The rights of religious institutions to practice the teachings of their faith are also engrained in American law and psyche. Our nation’s founders believed conscience rights should be protected. “No provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority.” — Thomas Jefferson to New London Methodist, 1809
In fact, the mandate will force many religious entities to choose between following their faith and the law. Recently, under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, HHS issued a preventive health care mandate that will require almost all health plans to cover all drugs and devices approved by FDA as contraceptives (including some that are actually abortifacients), as well as women’s surgical sterilizations. The mandate includes a narrow exemption for “religious employers” — defined as organizations that primarily inculcate religious values and primarily employ and serve those of the same faith (mainly churches). This exemption doesn’t apply to other Catholic institutions — hospitals, social service agencies, schools and universities — which also do the Church’s work by tending the sick, the poor and those seeking education — because they serve and employ non-Catholics as well as Catholics. If this unprecedented threat to the religious freedom of Catholic individuals and institutions (and other faiths) stands, almost every health plan will be required to provide insurance that pays (at no cost to the insured) for procedures and drugs that violate Church teaching, including the drug Ella, known to destroy unborn children before and after implantation in the womb. HHS is accepting comments through Sept. 30 on the definition of religious employer, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and Virginia Catholic Conference will respond forcefully. What can you do about this challenge to religious freedom? 1. Ask your members of Congress to co-sponsor the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (HR 1179 and SB 1467). This measure will ensure participants in the health care system “retain the right to provide, purchase, or enroll in health coverage that is consistent with their religious beliefs and moral convictions.” See the alert on the Current Alerts page at www.vacatholic.org. 2. Join the Virginia Catholic Conference Advocacy Network at www.vacatholic.org to keep abreast and act on this issue and others impacting the sanctity of life, social justice, family and education. 3. Pray that our nation will rediscover the principles upon which it was founded.
About Us | Archives | Around | Articles | Columns | Contact Us | Hispanic Apostolate | Home | Letters | Opportunities | Parish Profile | Shortakes | The Catholic Diocese of RichmondCopyright © 2011 The Catholic Virginian Press. Articles from Catholic News Services, including Fr. Doyle’s column, may not be reproduced due to copyright considerations.The Catholic Virginian is a biweekly publication serving the people of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. This website includes some, but not all, of the articles from the print version of The Catholic Virginian.For subscription information Contact Us. |
Today, conscience rights are being trampled by a recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate that reaches into the operations of religious entities and attempts to supersede their deeply held beliefs.