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Registered
Churches Walk a Fined Line
People in Pennsylvania were shocked to hear that Shippensburg University is selling the morning-after pill in campus vending machines. It's a shocking way to normalize a drug like Plan B, which can abort a pregnancy in its earliest stage. Starting next year, President Obama's team has an equally outrageous way of dispensing the pills: ordering religious schools, hospitals, and charities to pay for them. Under his insurance mandate, faith-based groups will be the administration's new vending machines, forced to dish out drugs and procedures that clash with their most fundamental beliefs.
And if they refuse? The Wall Street Journal estimates that the penalties to an organization of Catholic Charities' size could be as much as $140 million a year in fines. "That means millions less for struggling families, for refugees, for the sick and elderly and for the other needy Americans who benefit from their good works." The rest of America wouldn't be off the hook either. "This is far more than a 'Catholic' issue. At a minimum, it means higher taxes and less efficiency for all if the government picks up the slack." One in six U.S. hospitals has Catholic ties, and if the church is as serious about resisting the policy as it says it is, that would mean a massive void in medical care. The government--and by extension, taxpayers--would have to shoulder even more of the financial burden.
But the faith community won't go quietly. Yesterday, Catholic League President Bill Donahue said he is willing to bring the church's 70 million voters to bear on the President in November if the mandate isn't overturned. "Never before, unprecedented in American history, [has] the federal government line[d] up against the Roman Catholic Church," he said. One hundred sixty-eight Catholic bishops are going to the mat on the rule, about 90% of all U.S. dioceses. And more than 154 Congressmen are lining up beside them, thanks to Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.). Dozens of Republicans and Democrats signed his letter to the White House, demanding the President reconsider. "This radical mandate... is an attack on the religious freedoms guaranteed to all Americans by the Bill of Rights. Religious organizations and hard-working taxpayers should not be forced by the federal government to pay for abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives, or sterilizations in their health care plans... I'm proud to stand with the vast majority of Americans who respect religious freedom in demanding that this mandate be reversed."
Faced with red-hot opposition--even within the administration--White House spokesman Jay Carney hinted Monday at a possible modification to the policy. But if this is anything like the administration's "compromise" over taxpayer-funded abortion in ObamaCare, the church should know better than cutting a deal. When the White House is ordering Americans to choose between government and God, nothing but a complete repeal will do.
Help America Regain Conscience-ness!
How will the President's health care mandate affect you? Tune in this Thursday, February 9, to a special FRC Action webcast, live from our Washington, D.C. headquarters. You'll hear from congressional members like Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (R- N.Y.), religious leaders like Dr. Richard Land, health care experts like Grace Marie Turner, and media insiders like Terry Jeffrey. FRC Action is proud to partner with dozens of evangelical and Catholic groups, who see this oppressive mandate as a declaration of war against our first freedoms. Don't miss this chance to get up to speed on the administration's attack and what you can do to stop it. Join us for "Health Care Mandate: Violating the Separation of Church and State" and tell your friends and family!
Behind the 8 Ball?
In what was almost a foregone conclusion in the country's most liberal court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down California's marriage amendment, Proposition 8. The ruling, which upheld a lower court decision by Judge Vaughn Walker, doesn't answer the broader question about homosexual "marriage's" constitutionality. Instead, the court ruled Proposition 8 unconstitutional because it took away rights that had already existed in California. "Because California had already extended to committed same-sex couples both the incidents of marriage [our legislatively created domestic partnership law] and the official designation of 'marriage,' and Proposition 8's only effect was to take away that important and legally significant designation, while leaving in place all of its incidents." FRC had filed a brief in the case, arguing that this has as much to do with the preservation of democracy as traditional marriage.
Although today's outcome is disappointing, it's not surprising. As Ed Whelan pointed out, "In the grand scheme of things, there is nothing enduringly significant about today's ruling... [T]he composition of the Ninth Circuit panel meant that there was no prospect for a reversal of Walker 's ruling." In the end, Perry v. Brown is a Hollywood-funded lawsuit that aims to impose San Francisco values on the entire country. And while homosexual activists will soak up today's publicity and declare victory, the reality is that this is a brief stopover before Prop 8's ultimate destination: the U.S. Supreme Court. There, we can be confident that the justices will uphold the right of the people to govern themselves.
** Last night, I had the privilege of being the keynote speaker for the Todd Becker Foundation's annual fundraising dinner in Kearney, Nebraska. Keith Becker launched the ministry seven years ago after his brother, Todd, was killed in an alcohol-related car accident. Since the tragedy, Keith and his team have held student assemblies in public schools telling Todd's story as a way to challenge kids to chose the narrow road (Matthew 7:13). The assemblies, which are completely within the rights of students and schools, are sponsored by local churches that do the follow-up after Todd Becker Foundation leaves. It should come as no surprise that as their impact has grown, the ACLU and other anti-Christian organizations have sought to block and even shut them down. I encourage you to consider inviting them to your community.
*** For more on the national fallout from the Girl Scouts-Planned Parenthood partnership, check out Cathy Ruse's new Washington Times op-ed, "Planned Parenthood: Girl Scout Cookie Monster."
*** Also, Bob Morrison has a great column in National Review explaining why the contraception mandate is a threat to every American. Click here to read "Why This Lutheran Defends Catholics' Conscience Rights."
