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May 28, '12, 3:10 pm
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Regular Member
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Join Date: March 4, 2009
Posts: 556
Religion: Catholic
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
On this past Saturday, my family had a cook-out and my 40 year old daughter attended along with her family. She teaches sixth grade and attends mass every week making sure her three children receive Catholic religious education. I brought up the subject of the healthcare mandate lawsuit and she had no idea what I was talking about. I tried to explain and she said "Oh you mean that Planned Parenthood thing?".
I was flabbergasted. I am terrified that my daughter is not an exception to the rule but there are many like her who get their news from the "alphabet networks" and who attend churches where the pastors filter out diocese positions when it comes to politics. Somehow, the word must get out so that we make enough "noise" to pressure political leaders to listen and act on behalf of religious freedom.
__________________
To all atheists, agnostics, etc. I have one question. "What if you are wrong?"
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May 28, '12, 3:13 pm
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Regular Member
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Join Date: February 21, 2009
Posts: 1,731
Religion: Thank you POPE BENEDICT XVI We LOVE YOU! GOD BLESS YOU.
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
Quote:
Originally Posted by gilliam
The University of Notre Dame's complaint can be read in full here.
The announcement is here:
May 21, 2012
A Message from Father John Jenkins, C.S.C.,
President, University of Notre Dame
Today the University of Notre Dame filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana regarding a recent mandate from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). That mandate requires Notre Dame and similar religious organizations to provide in their insurance plans abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives and sterilization procedures, which are contrary to Catholic teaching. The decision to file this lawsuit came after much deliberation, discussion and efforts to find a solution acceptable to the various parties.
Let me say very clearly what this lawsuit is not about: it is not about preventing women from having access to contraception, nor even about preventing the Government from providing such services. Many of our faculty, staff and students -- both Catholic and non-Catholic -- have made conscientious decisions to use contraceptives. As we assert the right to follow our conscience, we respect their right to follow theirs. And we believe that, if the Government wishes to provide such services, means are available that do not compel religious organizations to serve as its agents. We do not seek to impose our religious beliefs on others; we simply ask that the Government not impose its values on the University when those values conflict with our religious teachings. We have engaged in conversations to find a resolution that respects the consciences of all and we will continue to do so.
This filing is about the freedom of a religious organization to live its mission, and its significance goes well beyond any debate about contraceptives. For if we concede that the Government can decide which religious organizations are sufficiently religious to be awarded the freedom to follow the principles that define their mission, then we have begun to walk down a path that ultimately leads to the undermining of those institutions. For if one Presidential Administration can override our religious purpose and use religious organizations to advance policies that undercut our values, then surely another Administration will do the same for another very different set of policies, each time invoking some concept of popular will or the public good, with the result these religious organizations become mere tools for the exercise of government power, morally subservient to the state, and not free from its infringements. If that happens, it will be the end of genuinely religious organizations in all but name.
The details of the process that led to the mandate are publicly known. In an Interim Final Ruling issued August 3, 2011, the federal government required employers to provide the objectionable services. A narrow exemption was given to religious institutions that serve and employ primarily members of their own faith, but, departing from a long tradition in federal law, organizations like Notre Dame—schools, universities, hospitals and charitable organizations that serve and employ people of all faiths and none—were granted no exemption, but instead were made subject to the law to the same extent as any secular organization. On September 28, I submitted a formal comment encouraging the Administration to follow precedent and adopt a broader exemption.
Despite some positive indications, the Administration announced on January 20, 2012, that its interim rule would be adopted as final without change. After an outcry from across the political spectrum, President Obama announced on February 10 that his Administration would attempt to accommodate the concerns of religious organizations. We were encouraged by this announcement and have engaged in conversations with Administration officials to find an acceptable resolution. Although I do not question the good intentions and sincerity of all involved in these discussions, progress has not been encouraging and an announcement seeking comments on how to structure any accommodation (HHS Advanced Notification of Proposed Rule Making on preventative services policy, March 16, 2012) provides little in the way of a specific, substantive proposal or a definite timeline for resolution. Moreover, the process laid out in this announcement will last months, making it impossible for us to plan for and implement any changes to our health plans by the government-mandated deadlines. We will continue in earnest our discussions with Administration officials in an effort to find a resolution, but, after much deliberation, we have concluded that we have no option but to appeal to the courts regarding the fundamental issue of religious freedom.
It is for these reasons that we have filed this lawsuit neither lightly nor gladly, but with sober determination.
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May 30, '12, 8:05 am
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Senior Member
Prayer Warrior
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Join Date: May 20, 2011
Posts: 13,423
Religion: Catholic. Gender: Female
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
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May 31, '12, 9:00 am
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Senior Member
Prayer Warrior
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Join Date: May 20, 2011
Posts: 13,423
Religion: Catholic. Gender: Female
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
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Jun 3, '12, 1:50 pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: January 10, 2011
Posts: 6,592
Religion: Catholic
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
Bishops prepare their flocks for possible civil disobedience
http://www.catholicvote.org/discuss/index.php?p=30511
Interesting...
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Jun 3, '12, 5:22 pm
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Book Club Member
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Join Date: December 29, 2007
Posts: 19,233
Religion: CATHOLIC
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
In some dioceses the bishops and faithful will be gathering in protest this Saturday at different federal buildings around the nation. Check your local diocese.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, FFV 
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Jun 5, '12, 10:21 am
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Senior Member
Prayer Warrior
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Join Date: May 20, 2011
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
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Jun 7, '12, 2:36 pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: May 20, 2011
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
Pelosi, 'I do my religion on Sundays, in church'
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Jun 7, '12, 5:30 pm
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Join Date: June 23, 2004
Posts: 3,121
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
I wholeheartly agree!
Quote:
Originally Posted by jwinch2
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Jun 8, '12, 9:32 am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: May 20, 2011
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
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Jun 15, '12, 12:09 pm
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Senior Member
Prayer Warrior
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Join Date: May 20, 2011
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
Catholic hospitals say Obama compromise on birth control for women employees is unworkable
Quote:
The nation’s Catholic hospitals are rejecting President Barack Obama’s compromise for providing birth control coverage to their women employees.
In a letter Friday to the government, the Catholic Health Association says the administration’s proposal to have insurers bear the cost would be “unduly cumbersome” and “unlikely to adequately meet the religious liberty concerns” of its members.
The hospital group was a key ally of Obama’s in the battle to win congressional approval of his health care overhaul, defying the opposition of church bishops. But it does not believe church-affiliated employers should have to provide birth control as a free preventive service, as the law requires.
The letter says the government should either broaden an exemption for religious employers, or pay directly for the birth control coverage.
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Catholic Health Association supported ObamaCare when they thought there was not ab oration funding in it
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Jun 15, '12, 12:17 pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: June 15, 2004
Posts: 4,149
Religion: Roman Catholic
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
Quote:
Originally Posted by _Abyssinia
Catholic hospitals say Obama compromise on birth control for women employees is unworkable
Catholic Health Association supported ObamaCare when they thought there was not ab oration funding in it
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I'm sorry, but the CHA is reaping what it sowed.
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Jun 21, '12, 2:34 am
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Senior Member
Prayer Warrior
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Join Date: May 20, 2011
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
ATHEISTS APPEAL TO OBAMA ADMIN, CALLING FAITH-BASED BIRTH CONTROL EXEMPTIONS ‘GOV’T ENDORSEMENT OF RELIGION’
Quote:
The Secular Coalition for America (SCA), a national group representing non-believers and secularists, has made no bones about its intent to increase its atheistic political power. On Tuesday, the group issued an official comment and press release slamming the efforts of Christian groups that are seeking wider exemptions under the Obama administration’s highly-contentious contraceptive mandate.
Rather than defend the religious liberty of organizations that would be forced to violate conscience, the SCA has decided to embrace the Obama administration’s initial feelings on the issue. The lobbying group claims that the exemption, in its current, narrow form, already provides adequate cover to religious groups.
“The current religious employer exemption adequately accommodates religious institutions,” SCA Executive Director Edwina Rogers is quoted in the release. “Any additional expansion would effectively be a government endorsement of religion—an idea fundamentally opposed to the core American values protected by the First Amendment.”
According to the SCA, the government should not allow any employer, regardless of religious beliefs, to decline contraceptive services that are FDA-approved. This essentially means that some Catholic institutions that do not embrace birth control, if the SCA gets its way, would be forced by the federal government to violate conscience.
The official comments submitted by the organization and co-signed by numerous atheist groups read, in part:
The Secular Coalition again would underscore our desire that the Health Resources and Services Administration guidelines include contraceptive services for women without any religious exemption for any and all group health plans and employers. However, the final rule published on February
15, 2012 maintained only a narrow exemption for religious employers with direct religious activities as their function and the Secular Coalition supports this narrow accommodation. The current religious employer exemption adequately accommodates religion; any expansion becomes endorsement.
We are concerned that the current comment period and any subsequent expansion of the religious employer exemption will only serve to further expand the definition of a “religious employer” as defined by the rule. Congress has passed and the Supreme Court has upheld Free Exercise protections for explicitly religious organizations. The final regulations published in February demonstrate a concerted effort by the Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to abide by those precedents and limit the scope of any exemption in the Affordable Care Act. According to the press release and the letter, itself, numerous secular collectives signed on, including: American Atheists, American Humanist Association, Atheist Alliance of America, Camp Quest, Council for Secular Humanism, HUUmanists Association, Institute for Humanist Studies and the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers, among others.
“We are troubled by the insistence of certain religious groups to impose their definition of religious freedom on all Americans,” Rogers also said. “The secular character of our government is a core value of our nation that protects all citizens—religious and non-religious.”
In contrast to the atheist push, earlier this month, 150 Christian leaders wrote a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius expressing fears over the government’s involvement in defining religious groups. In it, they lamented the Obama administration creation of a “two-class religious scheme.”
Based on this most recent public comment on behalf of atheist activists, though, secularists seem completely unconcerned about the intermingling of church and state that was highlighted by the aforementioned Christian leaders.
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Jun 25, '12, 11:02 am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: January 10, 2011
Posts: 6,592
Religion: Catholic
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
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Jun 27, '12, 2:31 pm
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Senior Member
Prayer Warrior
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Join Date: May 20, 2011
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Re: Catholic organizations across the country file suit against contraception mandate
The other 'mandate': Foes of contraception rule to sustain legal battle if ObamaCare upheld
Quote:
A Supreme Court ruling on the federal health care overhaul is expected Thursday, and all eyes are on the fate of the individual mandate -- the endangered provision requiring most Americans to buy health insurance.
But unless the entire law is struck down, another "mandate" that's nearly as controversial will live on. And opponents of the so-called contraception mandate are planning to sustain their legal challenge against the rule once the frenzy over the Supreme Court decision dies down.
The lawsuits will "all go forward" if any part of the health care overhaul is left standing, said Hannah Smith, senior counsel with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
Smith's group spearheaded the legal fight against the contraception mandate and is currently engaged in four separate federal lawsuits on behalf of four religious institutions. Earlier this year, dozens of other Catholic universities and groups filed their own set of coordinated lawsuits against the regulation.
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