The Catholic Bishops in the United States have been unified and resolute in fighting the Obama Administration’s mandate that forces all private health plans, including those of most religious institutions, to provide coverage of sterilization and contraceptives – including abortion-inducing drugs.
To this end, the bishops have engaged in vigorous efforts of education on religious freedom, dialogue with the executive branch, legislative initiatives and efforts in the courts to oppose the mandate and defend religious freedom.
So where do these efforts stand? On the educational front, the bishops sponsored a very successful Fortnight for Freedom from June 21 to July 4. During the Fortnight, "dioceses and parishes around the country scheduled special events that support a great national campaign of teaching and witness for religious liberty" the U.S. Bishops’ website proclaimed.
"Through prayer, study, catechesis, and peaceful public action during the Fortnight for Freedom, we [Catholics] hoped to remind ourselves and others all throughout the United States about the importance of preserving the fundamental right of religious freedom", the Bishops stated.
In addition to sponsoring the Fortnight for Freedom, the Bishops have produced numerous educational materials and prayer resources. All of these can still be downloaded from the U.S. Bishops’ website at www.usccb.org/conscience.
On the legislative front, the Bishops continue to urge Congress to take action to counter the coercive mandate. On August 3, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, sent a letter to members of Congress urging immediate action saying that the "fundamental importance of the religious freedom issue at stake demands a timely congressional response."
On the legal front, there have been mixed results by courts around the country with many more lawsuits yet to be determined. Two judges, including one in Nebraska, dismissed two different lawsuits against the mandate. However, in both cases, the suits were dismissed on procedural technicalities and not on the merits of the arguments made against the mandate.
On July 27, a third judge ruled in favor of a for-profit secular company (Hercules Industries) owned by a Catholic family. In this case, the judge granted a preliminary injunction preventing the federal government from enforcing the mandate against this company.
Although the injunction only applies to Hercules Industries, it is a significant victory because the judge based his ruling on the merits of the case. Specifically, the judge found the mandate to be in violation of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
In granting the preliminary injunction against imposition of the mandate on Hercules Industries, Senior Judge John Kane found that any "public interest" the Administration claims for the uniform imposition of its mandate is "countered, and indeed outweighed, by the public interest in the free exercise of religion," adding that this mandate already exempts many other organizations for reasons far less important than religious freedom.
In the conclusion of his letter to Congress, Cardinal DiNardo says, "the validity of the religious freedom claim against the contraceptive mandate is clearer than ever—even for those supposedly ‘secular’ companies whose rights are completely ignored under that mandate. Yet timely and uniform protection of these rights cannot be expected from the current lengthy judicial process. Therefore the Catholic bishops of the United States and many other fervently hope Congress will address this urgent and fundamental issue before it completes its business this year."
For those who have text messaging on their cell phones, the bishops are providing text updates on the status of legislative and legal efforts against the mandate. To sign up, simply text the word "Freedom" to 377377. If you don’t have this capability, updates are available on the bishops’ website mentioned previously.
You can contact Greg at The Nebraska Catholic Conference, 215 Centennial Mall South Suite 310, Lincoln, NE 68508; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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