by Dana Loesch
Late Friday afternoons -- especially those before a holiday weekend with big sporting events -- are ideal times to push forth controversial proposals or dump documents. That's exactly what happened this past
Friday when the administration revealed that it was continuing and expanding its HHS religious mandate.
Officials at the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor, and the Treasury today took the next step in the Obama administration’s effort to ensure women access to recommended preventive services while respecting religious liberty. The Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued today outlines draft proposals to implement the policy announced by President Barack Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Feb. 10, 2012. This policy will provide women with access to recommended preventive services including contraceptives without cost sharing, while ensuring that non-profit religious organizations are not forced to pay for, provide, or facilitate the provision of any contraceptive service they object to on religious grounds. The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued today gives all Americans the chance to formally comment on ideas for implementing this policy.
Tina Korbe points out how absurd it is to suggest that the funds to cover these "birth control rights" come from magic; they are paid out of premiums and copays from enrollees; Korbe also notes how many of these religious entities are self-insured.
It is absolutely a mandate to abridge conscientious objection by way of the First Amendment right to freely practice faith. It doesn't "protect religious liberty" simply because Sebelius says it does; especially when the financial reality undercuts such a preposterous argument. The media blackout only assists by providing cover.
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