An HHS Pork Mandate? Ken Blackwell on the Mandate's Threat to Life and Liberty

By Ken Blackwell
5/7/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Try to imagine an HHS Pork Mandate applicable to Jewish rest homes and Muslim soup kitchens

The HHS Mandate is a death sentence for unborn children. And it forces millions of Americans to violate their consciences by active participation in this attack on the Culture of Life. It must be resisted. And resisted not just by Catholics, but by all Americans who cherish religious liberty.

Ken Blackwell

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WASHINGTON,DC (Catholic Online) - What will come next? Will the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issue a Pork Mandate as part of ObamaCare? Will this be the next shoe to drop? Sound ridiculous? But, wait. Here's what the pork industry says about pork, "the other white meat."

Pork today compares favorably for fat, calories and cholesterol with many other meats and poultry. While providing a greater amount of vitamins and minerals, many cuts of pork are as lean or leaner than chicken. Pork tenderloin, for example, is just as lean as skinless chicken breast and meets the government guidelines for "extra lean." In total, six pork cuts meet the USDA guidelines for "lean," with less than 10 grams fat, 4.5 grams saturated fat and 95 milligrams of cholesterol per serving.

This is a fairly persuasive catalog of the benefits of pork versus chicken. The case for pork is even stronger when compared with beef. And isn't it the case that the fat and cholesterol content of beef has been a subject upon which nutritionists and cardiologists have been writing for some time?

If the health benefits of pork vis a vis chicken and beef can be scientifically demonstrated, then it could only be "irrational" religious objections that stand in the way of a Pork Mandate, right?

Try to imagine an HHS Pork Mandate applicable to Jewish rest homes and Muslim soup kitchens. Surely, these small religious minorities would be required to go along with the federal government for the greater good. Health is health, after all. And that's what HHS is all about.

As absurd as it is to think about a Pork Mandate, it is equally absurd to consider the federal government forcing Catholics, Evangelicals, many Lutherans and some Jews to include insurance coverage for drugs that can cause abortions. Yet, that is exactly where we are with the Obama administration's unconscionable HHS Mandate.

The media like to call it the HHS "Contraceptive" Mandate. There are a lot of things wrong with this title. For starters, the HHS Mandate includes such things as Plan B and other so-called Emergency Contraceptives.

How can these drugs be classified as contraceptives when they act to prevent implantation of the already conceived embryonic human? Well, they first have to adulterate the definition of pregnancy. They first have to tell us that conception occurs only after the embryonic human has successfully implanted in the uterine wall. Thus, by introducing a drug that prevents implantation, they argue they are contracepting. This requires them to change the century old definition of pregnancy itself.

What they call their "Contraceptive" Mandate also requires coverage for the drug "ella," which kills the developing child after implantation. So, even by their own skewed redefinition, the mandaters are not contracepting.

Imagine a beach patrol organized to keep beaches clean. But in doing this, they prevent struggling swimmers from coming ashore. When these swimmers, exhausted, sink under the waves, the prevention teams claim they had nothing to do with those swimmers' deaths. The beach patrol's only job is to keep the beach clean, they protest. And we kept it clean!

That is essentially what these so-called emergency contraceptives do. They don't prevent conception. They prevent human lives.

If you're working hard to advance the HHS agenda, what would be the problem in preventing human lives? If you're working hard to advance this agenda, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius's HHS Department has hung out a sign for you: "Help Wanted."

The HHS Mandate is a death sentence for unborn children. And it forces millions of Americans to violate their consciences by active participation in this attack on the Culture of Life

It must be resisted. And resisted not just by Catholics,but by all Americans who cherish religious liberty.

*****

Ken Blackwell is a member of the board of directors of Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

- - -

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: HHS, Mandate, Sebelius, Ella, Morning after, religious liberty, Ken Blackwell

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1 - 7 of 7 Comments

Margaret Davis
1 year ago
This article is helpful to those of us who are searching for detailed facts to understand who are the babies in the womb. Well Done Mr. Blackwell. Pre or post implantation, contraceptives target the living human being which is already an individual with a soul.

TonyT: Obama-care does "infringe upon religious liberty and life." Is the cost of health care of greater importance than a human life? God's law forbids killing the innocent. God's law does not forbid accepting charity or adoption or raising a child with one's own ability and sacrifice. Imposing secular laws, which mandate religious people participate in the killing, are unjust.
Barb Epley
1 year ago
Healthy food is a necessity too. That is what this article is about. Do these supporters of the mandate believe that jews and muslims should be forced to pay for everyone else's pork or even be forced to give it to their kids under the "it's for their own good" umbrella?

What do these supporters of the mandate believe should be the punishment we catholics suffer when we refuse to comply to this unjust "law"? If they believe fines and/or imprisonment should be meted out when we refuse to comply, let them join the ranks of the nazi brethren.
tonyt
1 year ago
I believe Obama-care does not infringe upon any religious liberty or life. Evey individual has need for health care and since this is currently not affordable, the Govt. brought in legislation to make health-care affordable for most Americans. It is the increasing disobedience in the world to God's commands that is causing the problem and not Obama-care.
Mary
1 year ago
I wholeheartedly agree with your article, well done.

What if everyone was given 3 choices, to opt for an insurance plan that doesn't cover abortions, to opt for one that does or simply not to have it? And those who choose not to have it would simply pay a certain amount into the plan of their choice, either a or b to cover those who want insurance but can't afford. It would seem like this idea just might work for all concerned. Has anyone thought of this? This, to me, seems like it would satisfy more people. You know, we could fight it, or maybe simply come up with some other ideas for consideration as it's obvious the current plan just doesn't cut it.
Vance
1 year ago
Obama and the Marxist Democrat Party are a threat to liberty. BUT our Catholic leadership doesn't appear to be that excited. I hear and see nothing coming from my parish or my diocese Bishop. The last time I read anything about Cardinal Dolan's response to the HHS was a law suit or did I misinterpret that. So the Titanic just hit the iceberg but the Catholic leadership is yawning.
michael
1 year ago
Back in the 1960s, Cardinal Cushing of Boston asked the Jesuit, Fr. John Courtney Murray, to provide a proper response to the inevitable legalization of contraceptives by legislatures. Murray's advice was...keep silent since it is a private issue...a conscience issue...a religious liberty issue...a private morality. And the Cardinal and all the bishops took this advice. Courts and legislatures are now legalizing sodomitical unions and the bishops hardly make a complaint including Cardinal Dolan who wasn't even in New York when the Albany legislators and the Catholic governor enshrined perversion into law. Now, the bishops begin to speak with a mighty voice...Why? Because their power is at stake. Well, it's too late, your excellencies. The wrath of God has come down on the House of God first.
abey
1 year ago
It seems Obama & the HHS derivatives go by the inspiration of the man in the Bible who was able to carry a legion of devils , except that the devils were made to go into porky, but the porkies unlike the hero of the Obama, saying thank you no Aliens rushed to kill themselves without losing much time, So who is the hero, anyhow for a surety Porky comes clean of any aliens & to this can Obama & HHS, mandate this, seeing their ways, just out of Curiosity.

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