Catholic Conference of West Virginia
Oppose Attack on Religious Freedom
Last week the Federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) refused to exempt religious institutions – including Catholic schools, charities, and hospitals - from a new sweeping mandate that requires employers to purchase contraception, including abortion-producing drugs, and sterilization coverage for their employees.
The contraceptive mandate imposed on health plans by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) violates freedom of conscience, which is guaranteed by the First Amendment and several federal laws. The Bill of Rights says we are free to live by our religious beliefs. Forcing all of us to buy coverage for sterilization and contraceptives, including drugs that induce abortion, is a radical incursion into freedom of conscience.
Never before in U.S. history has the federal government forced citizens to directly purchase what violates their beliefs. The Supreme Court recently declared in the Hosanna-Tabor case that the Constitution gives a priority place to Freedom of Religion.
HHS created this mandate after Congress asked it to develop a list of services all health plans should provide without co-pay. Instead of keeping with the prevention of diseases like breast cancer, sexually transmitted diseases and gestational diabetes, HHS took it upon itself to include sterilizations, contraceptives and abortion- inducing drugs.
Even states with similar mandates have a broader conscience exemption, or at least allow employers to self-insure or to choose a plan without prescription drug coverage if they have a conscientious objection to underwriting abortion, contraceptive and sterilization. This mandate forces virtually all insurance plans to offer such services.
See the excellent commentary on the situation by Archbishop Dolan, President of the Bishops' Conference, in the Wall Street Journal: Link to Archbishop's op ed
Should you want to take specific action in this regard, you can visit the USCCB website on conscience and religious liberty and click on the action alert in support of a legislative fix, H.R. 1179 and S. 1467. Sending a message of support to Congress is the most immediate action people can take. Action Alert website:
http://www.nchla.org/actiondisplay.asp?ID=292
Greetings in Christ!
The Catholic Conference of West Virginia was established to give witness to spiritual values in public affairs and to influence those making decisions regarding social policies to make such decisions in congruence with Catholic social teachings.
We trust that this website will prove of use to you in both learning about and
acting upon social teachings of the Church. The application of these teachings
in this diocese is very much affected by the fact that West Virginia is the
only state located entirely in Appalachia. Together we can strive to realize
the vision of the Appalachian Bishops in "This Land is Home to Me" (1975) of
a
Life free and simple,
with time for one another,
and for people's needs,
based on the dignity of the human person,
at one with nature's beauty.
Download the pastoral letter "Hearts Made Whole, A Pastoral Response to Behavioral Health in West Virginia".
Download A Church That Heals, A Pastoral Letter on Well-Being in West Virginia
Download This Land is Home to Me, 1975 Pastoral Letter of the bishops of Appalachia
Click here to view a video of the “thirty-years-after” panel
discussion by some of those involved in creation of “This Land is Home
to Me” (issued
at Wheeling College Feb. 1, 1975) Wheeling Jesuit University Feb. 1. 2005.
Download At Home in the Web of Life, 1995 Pastoral Letter of the bishops of Appalachia
Click here to read Bishop Bransfield's Pastoral Letter on Mine Safety.
Click here to watch the Press Conference.