1st Amendment to The Constitution of the United States of America:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, confirmed Jan. 20, 2012, that church-affiliated hospitals, agencies and universities will be required to provide contraception and sterilization in the health insurance they provide employees.
Father Larry Snyder, president of Catholic Charities USA, expressed disappointment that the religious exemption had not been broadened to shield social agencies as well as rectories.
“Catholic Charities agencies are first and foremost Catholic institutions — a manifestation of the Gospel call for charity and justice for all people. As such, remaining faithful to Catholic teaching is not a matter of choice; rather, it is essential to our identity. With the existing restrictive definition in this mandate, the ministry of Jesus Christ himself would not be considered a religious entity.”
Thomas Farr, director of the Religious Freedom Project at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs, also challenged the position of the HHS secretary.
“What we are seeing here is precisely what the First Amendment was intended to prohibit: state action targeted against the religious consciences of particular religious communities, and intended to attack their conceptions of justice, equality and the common good. It is tyranny, pure and simple. The stakes go beyond the questions of contraception and abortion to the very meaning of American democracy,” he added.
Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/hhs-secretary-sebelius-church-groups-must-provide-contraception/#ixzz1ko19BTAS
The belief that all life is sacred is not something that will change. It is not something that can be cast aside for convenience. The Catholic Church will not change this fundamental belief. We may lose hospitals, social services, charities, etc. It's not just Catholic agencies, but many faith based entities are angry and amazed that the right to practice one's faith is taken so lightly, actually not considered legitimate at all by the current administration.
America was founded by people who left Europe because they were not allowed to practice their faith without government interference. This administration is taking us backwards 236+ years. Right now it is my religious freedom, but tomorrow it may be your freedom. When a government begins to take away certain constitutional rights and freedoms, none of us are safe...and certainly we are not free!
