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Contraception mandate tramples religious freedom, US bishops say
Catholic News Agency ^ | Aug 1, 2011 | Benjamin Mann

Posted on 08/01/2011 8:21:56 PM PDT by Mrs. Frogjerk

Washington D.C., Aug 1, 2011 / 05:45 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. bishops spoke out on August 1 against federal rules requiring nearly all new health plans, including those of most religious agencies, to cover all government-approved methods of contraception as well as surgical sterilization.

“Under the new rule our institutions would be free to act in accord with Catholic teaching on life and procreation only if they were to stop hiring and serving non-Catholics,” said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, chairman of the U.S. bishops' pro-life committee.

“Although this new rule gives the agency the discretion to authorize a ‘religious’ exemption, it is so narrow as to exclude most Catholic social service agencies and healthcare providers,” the cardinal noted.

The guidelines, announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on August 1, offer the exemption only if a religious employer “has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose,” “primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets,” and “primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets.”

Cardinal DiNardo wondered whether the federal government may actually “intend to pressure Catholic institutions to cease providing health care, education and charitable services to the general public,” by forcing the institutions to choose between following Catholic principles on the one hand, and serving non-Catholics on the other.

In a July 22 letter to Congress, the cardinal stated that “those who sponsor, purchase and issue health plans should not be forced to violate their deeply held moral and religious convictions in order to take part in the health care system or provide for the needs of their families or their employees.”

“To force such an unacceptable choice,” he wrote,“would be as much a threat to universal access to health care as it is to freedom of conscience.”

(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnewsagency.com ...


TOPICS: Catholic; Moral Issues; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: catholic; contraception; healthcare; mandate; moralabsolutes; prolife
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Great, just great! Just how much more of this insanity will I be able to take. God help us!
1 posted on 08/01/2011 8:22:04 PM PDT by Mrs. Frogjerk
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk
Great, just great! Just how much more of this insanity will I be able to take.

Well, wait until next week.

Apart from requiring that insurance plans pay for the birth control, Obama will also require them to pay for the dinner, the wine and the flowers, too.


2 posted on 08/01/2011 8:27:00 PM PDT by Polybius
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk

Does this new edict allow such “religious” hospitals to ignore the other edict that requires all hospitals to treat all people who present without regard to ability to pay?


3 posted on 08/01/2011 8:29:00 PM PDT by Sgt_Schultze (A half-truth is a complete lie)
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk

These laws are very “Heydrich” in the way they institionalize abortion. Very scary stuff, indeed.


4 posted on 08/01/2011 8:32:36 PM PDT by PieterCasparzen (We need to fix things ourselves)
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk
“Under the new rule our institutions would be free to act in accord with Catholic teaching on life and procreation only if they were to stop hiring and serving non-Catholics,”

When you dance with the Devil, you get burnt.

Too many righteous institutions have sold their souls for government manna.

5 posted on 08/01/2011 8:35:21 PM PDT by concerned about politics ("Get thee behind me, Liberal")
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To: PieterCasparzen

I believe the USCCB are finding out, FINALLY, that there are consequence when you have institutionally been holding hands with known socialist/Marxist/democrats. Perhaps this horrifying debacle will be the impetus for them to take another look even at their illegal immigration sympathies vs. border control laws and the Mexican drug war. Harboring criminals is NOT what the Church means when the Catechism discusses nations rights and charity.


6 posted on 08/01/2011 8:43:48 PM PDT by RitaOK (We hang together or will hang separately. 2012, or bust)
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk

So the pro-abortion Obama’s and pro-abortion Pelosi’s pro-abortion health takeover, that “the bishops” campaigned for for years, until the last twelve hours or so, turns out to be pro-contraception and pro-abortion.

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!


7 posted on 08/01/2011 8:46:20 PM PDT by Arthur McGowan (In Edward Kennedy's America, federal funding of brothels is a right, not a privilege.)
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To: RitaOK

I’m not Roman Catholic but Reformed - but “mainstream” Protestant Churches - far and away the majority of Protestant congregations by headcount - have so much the same very misguided ideas that they promote. Such a shame, but, we can hope and pray that step by step, slowly, even though very slowly, Christian Churches will get back on the straight and narrow path.


8 posted on 08/01/2011 9:58:42 PM PDT by PieterCasparzen (We need to fix things ourselves)
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk

Cap the spending.

Cut the program!


9 posted on 08/01/2011 10:03:52 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk; nickcarraway; NYer; ELS; Pyro7480; livius; ArrogantBustard; Catholicguy; RobbyS; ...
Double action ping -- Senate and House and then the Bishops.

U. S. Senate

U. S. House of Representatives

Now contact your Bishop:

Bishops listed by Diocese

Bishops by Name

Bishops listed by state

10 posted on 08/01/2011 10:08:40 PM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: PieterCasparzen

We fight alone. Anyone who’s willing to stand with us needs to speak out now. We cannot win this battle against Obama without your help.


11 posted on 08/01/2011 11:35:54 PM PDT by BenKenobi (Honkeys for Herman!)
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To: Salvation

Well, we’ll see what Boehner has to say. I am not at all hopeful. I may be a stubborn optimist, but I’m not a wholly unrealistic one.


12 posted on 08/02/2011 3:07:42 AM PDT by sayuncledave (A cruce salus)
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To: RitaOK

I agree 100%.


13 posted on 08/02/2011 4:27:42 AM PDT by utahagen
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk

People need to be responsible for their own contraception. No wonder we’re going broke. In past years this would have been unthinkable.


14 posted on 08/02/2011 4:30:08 AM PDT by Conservativegreatgrandma
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To: Polybius

Nah, to save money, they’ll just limit coverage to a bottle of cheap vodka and some store-brand juice.


15 posted on 08/02/2011 4:45:16 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Do you know why I love reptiles? It's because they don't play guitars.)
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To: concerned about politics

Catholic institutions (and those of other religions) should never have been employing people who do not believe the Faith, completely and without dissent. If they can’t find enough such people to fill the jobs, then they obviously have failed as a religious body, and need to get out of every other line of work except evangelizing their own “faithful.”


16 posted on 08/02/2011 4:47:37 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Do you know why I love reptiles? It's because they don't play guitars.)
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To: Salvation
*** Cap the spending. Cut the program! ***

Or just cut the spending completely and let it wither on the vine.

btw, nice to 'see' you again :-) You are missed.
And I hope your arm is coming along fine and is healing well.

17 posted on 08/02/2011 5:29:37 AM PDT by Condor51 (The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits [A.Einstein])
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk
It's just another one of the steps to making companies stop insuring employees and just pay the Federal government extortion fees.
18 posted on 08/02/2011 5:39:51 AM PDT by Rashputin (Obama is insane but kept medicated and on golf courses to hide it)
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk; netmilsmom; thefrankbaum; Tax-chick; GregB; saradippity; Berlin_Freeper; Litany; ...
Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list


19 posted on 08/02/2011 6:31:45 AM PDT by NYer ("Be kind to every person you meet. For every person is fighting a great battle." St. Ephraim)
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To: Mrs. Frogjerk

Just one more item that adds to the cost of insurance.


20 posted on 08/02/2011 7:33:37 AM PDT by al_c (http://www.blowoutcongress.com)
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