Bishops Fight For Conscience Protection

The Texas Bishops have issued a letter to every member of the Texas Congressional delegation. In it they urge opposition to the Health and Human Services Mandate for free insurance coverage for sterilization, contraception, abortion drugs, etc. Here is a snip:

Institutions that sponsor, purchase, or issue health plans should not be forced to contravene their religious principles just to provide insurance to their employees; nor should families be forced to violate their religious convictions to care for their children. Forcing such unacceptable decisions is as much a threat to universal access to health care as to freedom of conscience.
The full letter can be found here (.pdf) 

Another good, and concise, take on the HHS mandate and what it means for all Catholics can be found on the USCCB Media Blog. A snip:

Six Things Everyone Should Know About the HHS Mandate

1. The mandate does not exempt Catholic charities, schools, universities, or hospitals. These institutions are vital to the mission of the Church, but HHS does not deem them "religious employers" worthy of conscience protection, because they do not "serve primarily persons who share the[ir] religious tenets." HHS denies these organizations religious freedom precisely because their purpose is to serve the common good of society—a purpose that government should encourage, not punish. 

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Pray for our Church and our country.