Obamacare Poses Major Threat to Religious Freedom
The dangers of Obamacare are many and great.
With strong leadership and massive media coverage, 63,000 people of all faiths and denominations, in 145 cities across the U.S. hit the streets for the "Rally for Religious Freedom," on March 23rd 2012. This event, designed to peacefully protest the proposed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate, commonly referred to as "preventive" health care or "Obamacare," was, by all accounts, a step forward in the fight for religious freedom.
The crowd at a Stand Up for Religious Freedom event in March.
PrintLOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - According to Eric Scheidler, Executive Director of the Pro-Life Action League and co-sponsor for the event, together with Citizens For a Pro-Life Society, excitement continues to build across the nation, as plans are well-underway for the next "Rally for Religious Freedom" scheduled on Friday, June 8th .
These wide-spread protests sent a strong message to both the Obama administration and US citizens alike, about the importance of respect for, and preservation of, religious freedom, human rights, and personal conscience. This event was also helpful in raising awareness, from coast to coast, about this controversial mandate that President Obama is trying to push through.
For many people of faith, the HHS mandate is viewed as far-reaching, and a major threat to religious freedom in America. Clearly, the HHS mandate could, indeed, profoundly affect generations of people on both sides of the issue, for decades to come.
Though statistics vary, according to eMedicine.com website, there are currently some 1.2 million abortions per year in the United States. Implementation of the HHS mandate would likely see a sharp rise in that statistic, as the HHS mandate would put aside any concern for building a "Culture of Life," while promoting what instead what some call the Culture of Death." Under the HHS mandate, abortion would be covered by health care insurance without even a co-pay.
Another serious caveat to this urgent social issue involves the procurement and use of highly valued stem cells from aborted human fetuses for stem cell research. If it becomes health care policy, the HHS mandate will likely significantly also increase fetal stem cell availability, presenting yet another health care challenge to human rights: The human trafficking of the products of abortion.Ineffect, the use of human body parts. Every child killed by abortion is a human person and deserves the dignity which every human person deserves, no matter what age or stage in life.
However, the issue at the center of the controversy over the HHS mandate is that, if implemented, it is a primary threat to the fundamental human right to religious freedom. It will force all employers, including religious organizations, businesses and even universities, to fully cover abortions, abortion-inducing drugs such as RU-486, sterilizations and contraceptives.
More specifically, if passed, the HHS mandate would not only promote abortion, it would over-ride personal conscience and violate religious freedom. Among other things, this mandate would threaten the continued viability of many faith-based businesses such as Catholic and other Christian colleges, universities and especially hospitals, forcing them to close their doors.It would levy severe fines for non-compliance.
The only other option they would be offered is to violate their Church teachings, including the 10 Commandments clear admonition, "Thou shall not kill". They will not - they cannot- do so.
This mandate would compel people and institutions to violate conscience. It would seek, under threat of the police power of the State, to force them to deny the undeniable truth of the sanctity of every human life. Finally, it would violate the the most basic First Amendment civil right, as well as the fundamental human right, the Right to religious Freedom. .
Adele M. Gill © 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.
These wide-spread protests sent a strong message to both the Obama administration and US citizens alike, about the importance of respect for, and preservation of, religious freedom, human rights, and personal conscience. This event was also helpful in raising awareness, from coast to coast, about this controversial mandate that President Obama is trying to push through.
For many people of faith, the HHS mandate is viewed as far-reaching, and a major threat to religious freedom in America. Clearly, the HHS mandate could, indeed, profoundly affect generations of people on both sides of the issue, for decades to come.
Though statistics vary, according to eMedicine.com website, there are currently some 1.2 million abortions per year in the United States. Implementation of the HHS mandate would likely see a sharp rise in that statistic, as the HHS mandate would put aside any concern for building a "Culture of Life," while promoting what instead what some call the Culture of Death." Under the HHS mandate, abortion would be covered by health care insurance without even a co-pay.
Another serious caveat to this urgent social issue involves the procurement and use of highly valued stem cells from aborted human fetuses for stem cell research. If it becomes health care policy, the HHS mandate will likely significantly also increase fetal stem cell availability, presenting yet another health care challenge to human rights: The human trafficking of the products of abortion.Ineffect, the use of human body parts. Every child killed by abortion is a human person and deserves the dignity which every human person deserves, no matter what age or stage in life.
However, the issue at the center of the controversy over the HHS mandate is that, if implemented, it is a primary threat to the fundamental human right to religious freedom. It will force all employers, including religious organizations, businesses and even universities, to fully cover abortions, abortion-inducing drugs such as RU-486, sterilizations and contraceptives.
More specifically, if passed, the HHS mandate would not only promote abortion, it would over-ride personal conscience and violate religious freedom. Among other things, this mandate would threaten the continued viability of many faith-based businesses such as Catholic and other Christian colleges, universities and especially hospitals, forcing them to close their doors.It would levy severe fines for non-compliance.
The only other option they would be offered is to violate their Church teachings, including the 10 Commandments clear admonition, "Thou shall not kill". They will not - they cannot- do so.
This mandate would compel people and institutions to violate conscience. It would seek, under threat of the police power of the State, to force them to deny the undeniable truth of the sanctity of every human life. Finally, it would violate the the most basic First Amendment civil right, as well as the fundamental human right, the Right to religious Freedom. .
Adele M. Gill © 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.
- - -
Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.
Keywords: Catholic, Christian, Catholic Online, abortion, contraception, Rally for Religious Freedom, Scheidler, Planned Parenthood, Standup
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I have grown to really hate a term that I once could not understand and that is the term political correctness,because this is a term used to enforce relative thinking,instead of old fashioned common sense. Killing the unborn through abortion is wrong but relative thinking reverses this viewpoint to make this injustice,justice and it is done in the name of "woman's rights". Women have the right to kill the baby in there womb,so if the baby is a curse,so is the man who got her pregnant,so shouldn't she have the right to kill him,so he won't impregnate more women that did not wish to be punished with the prospect of pregnancy and giving birth to a baby. Common sense says no. Relative thinking says why not! Women could enlist a healthcare provider to take care of eliminating both problems for free,no deductable and that is the fetus as well as the father of it. How is that for protection of a woman's rights? That would be really cool huh! Seriously the very meaning of the term "rights" has gone off the deep end. Religious freedom is an appeal for just plain common sense to prevail instead of this so called relative politically correct thinking nonsense,also termed a progressive political party platform.
Vance, At the suggestion of a priest I have lately been ignoring Catholic Online for the most part as, in his words, this appears to be a toxic environment for a rational exchange of ideas, but, God forgive me, my OCD will not let me ignore everything. To actually suggest that liberals, or any group of people for that matter, fear you, Catholicism or Christianity in general shows a bit of arrogance as, when all is over and said, they will only experience a tongue-lashing, which is no threat to them; no more than they are a threat to you, Catholicism or Christianity in general. This whole siege thing that seems to be popular at Catholic and Protestant websites lately is grossly over-exaggerated. The Catholic Church, and Christianity in general, has survived far worse onslaughts throughout history, and, quite frankly, to indulge in this siege mentality actually insults the real martyrs now and throughout history who have been, in fact, persecuted for their faith. Our biggest problem is that secular (Okay, and Marxist) society cannot seem to grasp the simple truth that we are right and they are wrong (I write the last sentence facetiously, but not without a bit of truth).
This mandate don't have the right to deny the practice of having faith in The Heavenly Father, this again is, trying to deny Civil Liberties. And we as citizens of The United States, we have to make it clear that, despite this mandate, we still can pray and give praise to The Heavenly Father without any body telling us, what we can and can not do. This is where our Faith is.
God Bless
The republican and democrat parties pose a major threat to freedom... period. Two peas in a pod of systemic and institutionalized corruption.
63,000 people in one place is a large number of people but 63,000 spread across the nation is anemic. BUT this is a good start. This is great when you consider the fact that all 63,000 faithful were OFF their living room easy chairs and into the streets because of their commitment to the Church and country NOT because of Catholic Church Leadership. If the Faithful had strong leadership, just think what could happen. The Marxist Democrat Party and the Liberal Establishment know very well what could happen and it scares them to death to think about it. This is the church of Jesus Christ and it is my hope and prayer that he will throw out the Bishops and clergy who are charlatans, anti-Catholics, and satan's hand puppets the same as he threw out the Money Changers out of the Temple.
Even though health statistics point to a reduction in unwed mothers, faith statistics show that young girls have not become holy, either, no not under Obama to his policies, but due to increased abortions of free availability by the appeasings which is to increased indulgences against self controls, making it in fact against Faith. To the fact that Obama & his gangs "Head Strong" indifference to the protests, in the HHS mandate to violating of the Christian Conscience is a clear sign that his policies to abortion & its indulgences is intentional against the Faith & that which is against faith is against the man which includes the woman to the revelations of Daniel in the Bible "He will not regard the desire of woman" which basic desire of any average woman(except the Sorceresses who are cut off) is to bring forth their kind, the very basic desire in all the female species .To this the deceit of Obama & his sorcerers is seen in the "Pied Piping" against The Faith which is to the life.