Taking advantage of the comment period offered by the Department of Health and Human Services on the new mandate that insurers cover contraceptives, sterilization and abortifacients, the U.S. bishops on Wednesday submitted their argument against the new rules.
The comment was submitted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office of the General Councel. The document includes a warning of the effects of the new law for Catholic institutions, including colleges and universities.
From the U.S. bishops’ official comment:
By taking a view of religion that is stingier than any ever placed into federal law, HHS would pressure a large number of religiously-affiliated organizations with conscientious objections to contraceptives and sterilization—including religiously-affiliated social service agencies, hospitals, colleges and universities—either to provide coverage for these, or to drop health coverage altogether. This would include the freestanding plans that religiously-affiliated colleges and universities offer their own students. …It will not be lost upon impressionable students that their religiously-affiliated school says one thing about the moral status of contraception and sterilization but practices quite another in providing coverage for those very items.
Read the entire commentary here.
Adam Wilson
CNS Staff
Matthew Archbold
Charlotte Hays
One Comment
As Governor of Kansas and head of HHS, Kathleen Sebelius has done nothing but defy the requests of her Bishops to stop promoting the killing of unborn children. She continues to completely disreguard the teachings of Holy Mother Church over and over again. I beleive that the Council of Catholic Bishops should speak to her once more and tell her to adhere to Church teachings or she will be excommunicated. How can she promote abortion and still receive Holy Communion? Please pray for her and ask God to open her mind and realize that abortion is murder.