Religious Leaders Protest HHS Mandate at Washington, D.C. Press Conference

July 03, 2013 - 6:07 PDT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA ADVISORY

STEUBENVILLE, OH (July 3, 2013) - --A diverse coalition of national religious leaders and scholars--including Franciscan University of Steubenville sociology professor Dr. Anne Hendershott--spoke out against the finalized version of the Health and Human Services Mandate, at a July 2 press conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

In a signed letter titled "Standing Together for Religious Freedom," the religious leaders called upon the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to expand conscience protections to cover any organization or individual that has religious or moral objections to covering, providing, or enabling access to the mandated contraceptive drugs and services.

Speaking at the press conference were Archbishop William E. Lori, chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty; Russell D. Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission; Dr. Yuri Mantilla, chairman of the Justice Initiative of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and Dr. Anne Hendershott, a professor in the Psychology, Sociology, and Social Work Department at Franciscan University.

In her remarks, which were carried live on C-SPAN 1, Hendershott decried that the HHS mandate provides insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs such as Ella and Plan B, contraceptives, and sterilization procedures.

We ask you, humbly, to help.

Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your help. If you have already donated, we sincerely thank you. We're not salespeople, but we depend on donations averaging $14.76 and fewer than 1% of readers give. If you donate just $5.00, the price of your coffee, Catholic Online School could keep thriving. Thank you. Help Now >

"This mandate will require me--as a faithful Catholic--to purchase insurance that my Church teaches is seriously immoral," said Dr. Hendershott, noting that the mandate "forces me and my religious employer to pay for or facilitate access to products and services that are in opposition to our deeply held moral and religious beliefs."

Hendershott singled out a less-publicized aspect of the HHS mandate "that allows the minor children of employees of 'accommodated' religious institutions to avail themselves of contraceptives, sterilization, or abortifacient drugs without their parents' knowledge.

"Those of us who work on Catholic campuses--or other Christian institutions--disagree. We have already been injured by this unjust mandate because our constitutional right to religious freedom has already been compromised. The refusal by the Obama administration to classify religious institutions like Franciscan or Notre Dame as religious employers has already compromised our religious rights. There is every indication that this will escalate."

The open letter presented at the press conference was signed by 61 religious representatives of many faiths, including some signatories that do not hold doctrinal objections to the use of contraception, yet protested the mandate "for its encroachment on the conscience of our fellow citizens."

In May 2012, Franciscan University sued the federal government stating that the HHS mandate constituted a grave threat to Franciscan University's ability to continue teaching from the heart of the Church. Franciscan's lawsuit was one of 12 lawsuits filed concurrently by 43 Catholic organizations, dioceses, and archdioceses.

(Read Dr. Hendershott's complete statement below.)

Prepared remarks by Dr. Anne Hendershott, Franciscan University of Steubenville Sociology Professor, delivered Tuesday, July 2, at the National Press Club, Washington, D.C.:

"My name is Dr. Anne Hendershott. I am a sociologist and have spent the past twenty years working as a professor on religious college campuses. As a Catholic, I have chosen to teach in an environment where my religious rights are respected. As a pro-life Catholic I was happy to be able to teach in an environment where I would not be asked to compromise my conscience rights by having to supervise student internships at Planned Parenthood or at other abortion providers. I have been happy to teach in schools where I would not be asked to contribute to causes that are contrary to what my Church teaches. I have always known that my conscience rights would be protected.

Unfortunately, the Obama administration's Health and Human Services mandate on "preventive service" now threatens those very protections. The HHS mandate requires that all organizations--including religious institutions like the Catholic colleges and universities I teach in--provide insurance coverage that includes abortion inducing drugs like Ella and Plan B, contraceptives, and sterilization procedures. This mandate will require me--as a faithful Catholic--to purchase insurance that my Church teaches is seriously immoral. The HHS mandate forces me and my religious employer to pay for or facilitate access to products and services that are in opposition to our deeply held moral and religious beliefs.

The HHS mandate also allows the minor children of employees of "accommodated" religious institutions, like my college, to avail themselves of contraceptives, sterilization, or abortifacient drugs without their parents' knowledge because such information will not appear on parents' claims statements at the end of each month.

Last year, my current employer, the Franciscan University of Steubenville, became the first university in the country to drop its requirement for student health insurance due to moral and economic concerns connected to the HHS mandate. Fr. Terence Henry, TOR, then-president of Franciscan University submitted a public statement protesting the new guidelines from HHS that force Catholic institutions to choose between following their faith or providing health coverage in their employee and student health plans. In his statement, Fr. Henry wrote that "By making this insurance coverage mandatory, our government has violated the consciences of people of faith and infringed on our rights to practice our religious beliefs."

In May of 2012, Franciscan University sued the federal government saying that the HHS mandate constituted a grave threat to Franciscan University's ability to continue to teach from the heart of the Church.

The Franciscan University lawsuit was one of 12 lawsuits filed on May 21, 2012, by 43 Catholic organizations, including the University of Notre Dame and other Catholic colleges and universities. There are now over 60 total lawsuits against the mandate, about half brought by family-owned businesses and half brought by non-profit religious institutions. Fortunately, of those cases on behalf of family businesses that have received early rulings on the religious freedom issue, the vast majority--almost 80%--of plaintiffs have been awarded temporary halts to the mandate. Unfortunately, on the non-profit side, many of the cases--including Franciscan University's lawsuit--have been dismissed without prejudice because the courts have claimed that the religious institutions have not yet been "injured" by the HHS mandate.

Those of us who work on Catholic campuses--or other Christian institutions--disagree. We have already been injured by this unjust mandate because our constitutional right to religious freedom has already been compromised. The refusal by the Obama administration to classify religious institutions like Franciscan or Notre Dame as religious employers has already compromised our religious rights. There is every indication that this will escalate.

Refusing to count Franciscan University and Notre Dame and other Catholic and Christian colleges as religious employers, the state can target us as they have done to Catholic adoption agencies that won't place children with gay and lesbian couples.

Free Catholic PDF's - Home / Parish / School / Bulletin Inserts

Unless Catholic colleges and universities are given some assurance that their religious liberty will be protected, the threats will continue. Rejecting our claims of religious liberty, it is likely that in a misguided attempt to protect women's rights, we will be forced to facilitate our students' participation in student internships at the clinics of abortion providers. Similarly, Catholic colleges and universities may be forced to accept as leaders those who openly disavow the Catholic faith. Analogous situations have arisen at state universities and private colleges. (See CLS v Martinez, involving Hastings Law School in California, and Vanderbilt University.) But, if we protest on religious liberty grounds, we will be told yet again that we have no right to protest because we are not religious institutions.

A current Obama appointee to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Chai Feldblum) recently wrote that when it came to gay rights or women's rights, she was "having a hard time coming up with any case in which religious liberty should win."

We are already at a place where the establishment clause has shifted from a legitimate desire to keep the government from entangling itself in the internal affairs of religious organizations to a justification of anti-religious secularism--a pushing of religion out of the public square. This threatens all people of faith."

Contact

Franciscan University of Steubenville
http://franciscan.edu
OH, 43952 US
Tom Sofio - Associate Director of Public Relations,

Keywords

Franciscan University of Steubenville, HHS mandate, religious liberty, ecumenism

Category

OTHER

We're Back - Greatest Meat on Earth

More Catholic PRWire

Showing 1 - 50 of 7,177

• « Prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• Next »

When Pope Francis Arrives in North America, There is Only One Network to Watch: EWTN Global Catholic
EWTN Global Catholic Network
September 16, 2015 - 5:17 PDT

GHIRELLI'S WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES ROSARIES NOW AVAILABLE
The Word Out | Marketing For Catholics
September 11, 2015 - 11:44 PDT

The Synod on the Family: Addressing the Instrumentum Laboris
Franciscan University of Steubenville
September 11, 2015 - 10:26 PDT

OCP Artist, Pedro Rubalcava, Writes Song for Pope Francis' Visit
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
September 10, 2015 - 2:50 PDT

Pre-Synod Conference unites Cardinals and men and women living with homosexual tendencies
September 09, 2015 - 2:58 PDT

The Rigging of a Vatican Synod
September 02, 2015 - 3:44 PDT

17 Cardinals and Counting
August 31, 2015 - 3:38 PDT

19th Annual Carnival Announced for St. Ann's Parish
August 28, 2015 - 9:20 PDT

The John Paul II International Film Festival Marks Its Five-Year Anniversary
August 27, 2015 - 6:09 PDT

OCP Pledges to Support the V Encuentro
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
August 27, 2015 - 2:51 PDT

Thu, Sept 24, 2015- Mass & Healing Service with Fr. Angelos Sebastian Our Lady of Grace Catholic Chu
August 26, 2015 - 4:03 PDT

Grief, Death, Eternal Life Explored in New Catholic Title by PBM
Pauline Books & Media
August 25, 2015 - 3:55 PDT

How do we live the truth in love when the culture says we're haters?
August 25, 2015 - 9:52 PDT

Right Next to Disneyland: Theater Meets Faith
Saint Luke Productions
August 19, 2015 - 1:29 PDT

OCP Parish Grant Program to Distribute $200,000 to U.S. Parishes
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
August 18, 2015 - 1:23 PDT

Franciscan University Joins With UK School to Offer Online Master of Catechetics Degree
Franciscan University of Steubenville
August 05, 2015 - 2:20 PDT

CONOR GALLAGHER NAMED PUBLISHER OF TAN BOOKS AND SAINT BENEDICT PRESS
Saint Benedict Press & TAN Books
July 20, 2015 - 12:49 PDT

Thérčse Drama Surprises Audiences
Saint Luke Productions
July 16, 2015 - 12:35 PDT

Catholic Press Association Honors Liguori
Liguori Publications
July 10, 2015 - 8:29 PDT

Crosier Order elects master general and councilors
June 26, 2015 - 2:06 PDT

Shop Timeless Catholic Gifts

World Library Publications Honored With Three Paul Revere Awards
World Library Publications
June 23, 2015 - 4:11 PDT

Indie Catholic Authors June Ebook Sale Offers the Faithful 17 Books Outside the Mainstream
Four Waters press
June 23, 2015 - 12:10 PDT

Limitless Love in Action: First Steubenville Youth Conference Inspires Teens to Bring the Fire Home
Franciscan University of Steubenville
June 18, 2015 - 2:03 PDT

Franciscan University of Steubenville Athletic Director Enshrined in Sports Faith Hall of Fame
Franciscan University of Steubenville
May 29, 2015 - 1:53 PDT

AWARD-WINNING CATHOLIC AUTHORS TEAM-UP TO PROMOTE HEALING THROUGH FORGIVENESS
Pauline Books & Media
May 27, 2015 - 12:32 PDT

NY CONCERT FOR NEPAL 5/31
May 27, 2015 - 1:22 PDT

Who's responsible for designing the designer?
May 19, 2015 - 11:12 PDT

Thu, Jun 11, 2015- Mass & Healing Service with Fr. Bill Adams at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church
May 13, 2015 - 4:21 PDT

Your search for true happiness is over
May 05, 2015 - 1:22 PDT

ValLimar Jansen's latest album "a soulful experience"
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
April 30, 2015 - 1:33 PDT

Uncovering the roots (and branches) of the greatest revolution in the American Catholic Church
April 28, 2015 - 9:45 PDT

NYC May 8, 2015 Spring Fling Catholic Singles Mingle Fundraiser
The Catholic Fellowship
April 18, 2015 - 9:07 PDT

Thank A Nun Day
Image Books/Random House
April 15, 2015 - 12:32 PDT

#TweetingwGod dares young people to believe
April 14, 2015 - 9:54 PDT

Experience Beloved: Finding happiness in marriage
April 13, 2015 - 1:27 PDT

Archbishop Aquila, Dr. Edward Sri and other experts to participate in 'Beloved' telepress conference
April 07, 2015 - 4:51 PDT

Nobis Media, Marketing & Web Development Company
April 01, 2015 - 5:49 PDT

Catholic toymaker puts Faith in hands and mouths of babies: Pope Francis doll added to line of toys
The Word Out | Marketing For Catholics
April 01, 2015 - 3:48 PDT

Concert Series Concludes with Winthrop University World Percussion Ensemble
April 01, 2015 - 2:48 PDT

Birth Choice Health Clinics Announces Transition to Obria Medical Clinics and Plans for Expansion
March 28, 2015 - 10:43 PDT

Embrace your Faith

OCP releases expanded edition of Mass of the Sacred Heart
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
March 24, 2015 - 4:43 PDT

Archbishop Aquila, Dr. Edward Sri and other experts participate in 'Beloved' tele-press conference
March 21, 2015 - 11:57 PDT

Priest and Seminarian Join National Three-Point Contest to Benefit Marriage Ministry
Paradisus Dei
March 13, 2015 - 10:20 PDT

Shroud of Turin Exhibit At Holy Spirit Brighton
Holy Spirit Catholic Church and School
March 12, 2015 - 3:58 PDT

Flor y Canto campaign invites the Hispanic community to share their stories
OCP (Oregon Catholic Press)
March 11, 2015 - 4:40 PDT

Crisis Pregnancy Center Dream Becoming Reality
TRFC Inc.
March 10, 2015 - 6:36 PDT

Crisis Pregnancy Center Dream Becoming Reality
TRFC Inc.
March 09, 2015 - 7:04 PDT

Join RealOptions 2015 Walk for Life and 5K Run!
RealOptions Pregnancy Medical Clinics
March 09, 2015 - 2:40 PDT

New Orchestra Comes to Mary's Nativity Church
March 09, 2015 - 12:06 PDT

Paradisus Dei Offers New Marriage Program to Churches at No Cost
Paradisus Dei
March 05, 2015 - 6:25 PST

• « Prev
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• Next »