by Matt Cover –
The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops – comprising the 65 Orthodox Christian bishops of the United States, Canada, and Mexico – has thrown its weight behind the opposition to the Obama administration’s mandate that all insurance carriers provide sterilization and contraception free of charge, including FDA-approved contraceptives that induce abortions.
“The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, which is comprised of the 65 canonical Orthodox bishops in the United States, Canada and Mexico, join their voices with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and all those who adamantly protest the recent decision by the United States Department of Health and Human Services,” the Orthodox bishops wrote in a Feb. 2 statement [reproduced in full below].
the “unjust” ruling by the Obama administration violated the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom
The Orthodox bishops said that the “unjust” ruling by the Obama administration violated the First Amendment’s protection of religious freedom by forcing religious institutions to pay for contraceptive and other services that they believe are morally objectionable.
“The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion,” says the statement. “This freedom is transgressed when a religious institution is required to pay for ‘contraceptive services,’ including abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization services that directly violate their religious convictions.”
The Orthodox bishops called on Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to rescind the regulation and to respect the religious beliefs of all Americans.
“We, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops, call upon HHS Secretary Sebelius and the Obama Administration to rescind this unjust ruling and to respect the religious freedom guaranteed all Americans by the First Amendment,” says the statement.
We, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops, call upon HHS Secretary Sebelius and the Obama Administration to rescind this unjust ruling and to respect the religious freedom guaranteed all Americans by the First Amendment
The Obamacare mandate, originally issued in August 2011, requires all insurance carriers to provide preventive services without copay. In its August ruling, the HHS included all FDA-approved contraceptives under the banner of preventive services, including regular birth control, Plan B emergency contraceptives (“Morning After” pill), and sterilization procedures.
The administration issued a final ruling in December that it would not exempt religious organizations that do not primarily employ members of their own faith, such as religious hospitals, colleges, and charities. Essentially, only those who work directly for a church or a seminary might be exempt from the regulation.
At Catholic church services the past two weeks, priests have read letters from Church officials decrying the regulation. One such letter, read in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Arlington, Va., said, “In so ruling, the administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. And as a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled either to violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so).”
The White House has defended the decision by saying it believes that women “deserve” access to contraceptive services, no matter where they work.
HT: CNS News
Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America
Record of Protest Against the Infringement of Religious Liberty by the Department of Health and Human Services
Thursday, February 02, 2012
The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America, which is comprised of the 65 canonical Orthodox bishops in the United States, Canada and Mexico, join their voices with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and all those who adamantly protest the recent decision by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and call upon all the Orthodox Christian faithful to contact their elected representatives today to voice their concern in the face of this threat to the sanctity of the Church’s conscience.
In this ruling by HHS, religious hospitals, educational institutions, and other organizations will be required to pay for the full cost of contraceptives (including some abortion-inducing drugs) and sterilizations for their employees, regardless of the religious convictions of the employers.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free exercise of religion. This freedom is transgressed when a religious institution is required to pay for “contraceptive services” including abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization services that directly violate their religious convictions. Providing such services should not be regarded as mandated medical care. We, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops, call upon HHS Secretary Sebelius and the Obama Administration to rescind this unjust ruling and to respect the religious freedom guaranteed all Americans by the First Amendment.
http://www.assemblyofbishops.org/news/2012/protest-against-hhs
