USCCB Responds To Inaccurate Statement Of Fact On HHS Mandate Made During Vice Presidential Debate

By USCCB
10/12/2012
USCC Office of Media Relations (www.usccb.org)

They will still be forced to provide their employees with health coverage, and that coverage will still have to include sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients

USCCB continues to urge HHS, in the strongest possible terms, actually to eliminate the various infringements on religious freedom imposed by the mandate.

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WASHINGTON, DC (USCCB) - The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued the following statement, October 12. Full text follows:

*****

Last night, the following statement was made during the Vice Presidential debate regarding the decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to force virtually all employers to include sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion, in the health insurance coverage they provide their employees:

"With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear. No religious institution-Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital-none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact. That is a fact."

This is not a fact. The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain "religious employers." That exemption was made final in February and does not extend to "Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital," or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.

HHS has proposed an additional "accommodation" for religious organizations like these, which HHS itself describes as "non-exempt." That proposal does not even potentially relieve these organizations from the obligation "to pay for contraception" and "to be a vehicle to get contraception." They will have to serve as a vehicle, because they will still be forced to provide their employees with health coverage, and that coverage will still have to include sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients. They will have to pay for these things, because the premiums that the organizations (and their employees) are required to pay will still be applied, along with other funds, to cover the cost of these drugs and surgeries.

USCCB continues to urge HHS, in the strongest possible terms, actually to eliminate the various infringements on religious freedom imposed by the mandate.

For more details, please see USCCB's regulatory comments filed on May 15 regarding the proposed "accommodation"

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1 - 9 of 9 Comments

Judy Claar
8 months ago
G.G. and Paul-Emile Leray, "Bravo". I Hope people are reading and Listening out there. I loved your posts.

Question. What does one do, say, besides? nothing, because people are too far gone on Obama? And I am speaking of All age voters, who voted for Obama last time...that are doing so Again This time! That I think is sad. They just Do Not Get It. How can they continue to follow the herd with blinders on? What do they think awaits them?

Truthfully, I would rather have them take their blinders off before WE become the victims of their stampede! Blessings...
ANA ISABEL
8 months ago
My comment is short. Thank you to all of you who see how desperate the situation is and boldly and passionatly speak out. Finally somebody gets it. If we don't act like lions and act NOW, this country is doomed. Gone.
Paul-Emile Leray
8 months ago
G.G., thank you for the "when are all you Obama Catholics going to wake up" comment in your post. 4 years ago, right on Catholic grounds, on another continent, I was screamed at, belittled, defamed, by some friends who are Catholics because I criticized Obama and politicians in general. I told them about many things vis-a-vis the nature of politics, including democracies, campaigning and governing, and so forth. I also asked them to speak with me in one year, 18 months, 2, 3, 4 years after the inauguration. Today? Nobody challenges me. NOT ONE. It is AMAZING how gullible people are simply because of a personality cult-like following, in part due to high flying speeches and platitudes. Almost all dictators, tyrants, demagogues, politicians are fantastic speakers. Since when does being a great orator presuppose being a great human being and governor? Terrorists, gang leaders, thugs, the beauty products lady, the multi-level marketer, the insurance salesman, the clown at the local bazaar or community fair, the circus MC, the boxing promoters, the local lipstick and tupperware party queen, the detergent door to door distributor; they almost all speak well. Let us use our critical thinking and discernment, observing content and potential logical consequences to decision making. I am HORRIFIED by the naivety of university educated (rather, instructed) grown up 50, 60, 70 year old individuals. And their children? Even more naive and gullible! No wonder we get led around like lemmings off a cliff and herds of buffalo about to fly off cliffs led by politicians and managed by politicians; with the leadership carrot often being a political speech and the management stick being coerced upon political manipulation filled with lies and deceit. Obama Catholics? It is an oxymoron since the two can NOT be stated without there being a logical contradiction present. Replace the actors on the stage of political baffoons. If things don't improve after that? Change the system. And don't lose heart. The Roman Empire went the way of the dinosaur. The Catholic Church is still standing. True? True. And it will still be standing after we are all dead analyzing the root structures of dandelions 6 feet above us, if buried into the ground. In New Orleans, it is sometimes a different story given how many there are laid to rest. If placed inside an urn, after being cremated, then this might be yet a different perspective. Do NOT fear politicians. Are they human? Yes. And you? Yes. Democracies are mobocracies. The only way to have them work better is for the collective consciousness and awareness of the whole of society to rise and continue doing so. Bravo to the often fearless Catholic leaders who refuse to be bullied and manipulated by politicians, money, power, popularity cult-like beauty queen competition level thinking, in this world of infomercials, noise, senseless frenetic busy-ness, and MEANINGLESS activities.
Let us not forget that dogs chasing their tails in circles are busy, focussed, motivated, burning energy, working hard; in the pursuit of a MEANINGLESS activity. This is society at large, often. Busy, busy, busy, like a herd of spooked cattle running from one end of the field to the other for NO reason other than being spooked by who? Probably a politician who just delivered a speech to the herd!
Paul-Emile Leray
Greg
8 months ago
What is your primary allegiance - to Christ and His Church or the Democratic Or Republican party? Are you capable to say "I will not leave my party but I will bring the Christ in who is the Light?" by not voting for representative who is openly fighting with the Church you are not turning away from your party - you are bringing light to it!

Christ has said "I will build my Church." If you are not with Him then you are against Him. I will repeat after Him: "I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." Be honest! If you do not believe this is the Church Christ builds - leave! In the place where there is weeping and grinding teeth you can keep attacking Her. It may be beneficial for you when you suffer out there, and you realize that there is nothing there.
florin
8 months ago
Oct. 14th: Where are the Obama Catholics? Catholics in public office like Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi, the Kerrys and the Kennedys, et al ... are declaring that they are, despite their aggressive anti-life agendas, nonetheless considered Catholics in good standing because if they were not Catholics in good standing, they would not be permitted to receive Holy Communion until and unless they had gone to confession and PUBLICLY repudiated their previous anti life, anti Church agendas. They are, therefore, being affirmed in their sin and see no reason to change. All this while millions of unborn human babies continue to be exterminated in the wombs of their mothers. By the way, would Biden aggressively push pro-slavery and/or pro-pedophilia agendas if they were made legal? Biden not only aggressively pushes the pro-abortion agenda here in the States but he went to an African country and informed them that if they would put abortion rights in their new constitution, then the 'money would flow' but if they did not, by implication, the money would dry up. These public politicians, because they are being affirmed in their public evil agendas, are becoming more and more encapsulated by evil and spreading this evil as if it were good...Obama supports the termination of the lives of human babies up to and until the 9th month where the baby is partially delivered and then its head is pierced and his brain sucked out...it's all beyond human comprehension and yet it is happening all over the globe...and so few are horrified by these acts of barbarism...what is happening to us? Mother Teresa used to say that if we would kill the baby in the womb, what would we not do - indeed, what would we not do?
Robert
8 months ago
Dear G.G., Thank you for your letter. The other question is, "where are the Catholic pastors?" It is time they speak up for our faith and the fiven non -negotiables. If we remain silent in expressing our concerns to them; we cannot complain about their silence from the pulpit. The flock goes where the shepherds lead them.

I implore the readers to visit with your pastors and ask them to speak out from the pulpit. Yes, social justice is important. Is it more important than life? more important that religious freedom? more important than teachings of our faith? Is the future of the church and the souls of the flock less important than upsetting someone?

Socialism is becoming the new religion. If you don't think so take a good hard look at Europe.

May God Bless the USA.
Patricia Womack
8 months ago
Why isn't this statement by the USCCB published in the mainstream media? I received notice of this from a friend and have passed it on to many of my friends. It seems that the majority of Catholics will not be exposed to the position of the USCCB. I am sending it to my parish clergy, hoping that there will be some mention of it in a letter, the Church bulletin or and preferably, at Sunday Masses in the US. Get the message out in a timely way and to widely spread audience.

Respectfully, Patricia Womack
Kasoy
8 months ago
Perhaps the parish priest or bishop of VP Biden should talk to him and find out if he is not aware of the details of the HHS mandate and if so, let the bishop or priest explain it to him OR if he was just lying during the debate.
G.G. a Prolife Catholic
8 months ago

WHERE ARE ALL YOU SO CALLED CATHOLICS? USCCB HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT JOE BIDEN DID NOT SPEAK THE FACTS REGARDING VARIOUS INFRINGEMENTS ON
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IMPOSED BY THE MANDATE....WHEN ARE ALL YOU OBAMA
CATHOLICS GOING TO WAKE UP AND REALIZE WHAT HE IS DOING TO YOUR CATHOLICS TEACHINGS? IT BOGGLES MY MIND HOW GULLIBLE YOU CAN BE JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE
BEEN RAISED IN A DEMOCRATIC FAMILY...REMEMBER WHAT OBAMA EMPHASIZED IN
2008 --- CHANGE? CAN'T YOU ALL SEE WHAT THE CHANGE IS HE HAS MADE? WE'RE
BEING STRIPPED OF ALL OUR RIGHTS AND YOU'RE ALLOWING IT TO HAPPEN...
WAKE UP AND FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS...WAKE UP CATHOLICS AND LET GOD TAKE
CARE OF YOU...GET YOUR FAITH BACK AND BELIEVE! STOP BELIEVING THE OBAMA
LIES! GOD HAVE MERCY ON US....

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