Response to the US Department of Health and Human Services mandate to disregard freedom of conscience and religious liberty in defining essential medical services according to the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act
Please contact your United States Senators and Representative. What is at issue is the protection of conscience for religious employers, not the specific mandate to provide contraceptives, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs at no cost to patients. While that is morally objectionable to many religious employers (not only Catholics), the larger and more important issue is the administration’s mandate that religious employers must provide services that are unacceptable on moral grounds. The refusal to admit any exception to government mandates on the grounds of conscience is a serious issue and an unprecedented action in the United States. As citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania we have benefitted from William Penn’s great experiment in religious liberty, and the protections of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution have served to protect churches from unwarranted government intrusion into matters of conscience and moral doctrines – until now.
What can we do as citizens to insist that religious liberty be protected?
CALL THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES:
The comment line for HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is (202) 205-5445. Ask that the Secretary repeal the mandate to force religious employers to provide so-called essential services against their moral conscience. Demand that any federal mandate respect religious liberty and allow for conscientious exemption for religious employers.CONTACT FEDERAL LEGISLATORS:
While an e-mail will express your opinion, a letter is always more effective. The most effective method of expressing your opinion is a telephone call or personal visit to the legislator’s office. Contact information is given below. Ask that the legislators who represent you in Washington take action to prevent the erosion of religious freedom. Ask that the legislators support action to repeal the HHS mandate forcing religious employers to act against their moral teaching and to protect against such mandates in the future. Ask that they support the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (House Bill 1179 and Senate Bill 1467).E-MAIL: Go to www.pacatholic.org and click on the headline HHS EDICT WILL FORCE CATHOLICS TO VIOLATE CONSCIENCE, then follow directions to send an e-mail to both senators and to your federal representative. While visiting this website, take the time to join the Pennsylvania Catholic Advocacy Network: from the home page, click on SUBSCRIBE at the top and then ADVOCACY NETWORK for instructions.
WRITE: Copy and use the sample letter, addressing it to Senators Casey and Toomey and to your US Congressman. Additional copies are available on the websites of the Diocese of Harrisburg and of our parish, where you can download and edit the text before mailing:
www.hbgdiocese.org/conscience
Letter to your legislatorCALL OR VISIT: It is always most effective to make personal contact with a legislator or legislator’s office to express your opinion. Telephone numbers and local office addresses are given on the reverse of this sheet.
UNITED STATES SENATE
The Honorable Robert Casey, Jr. The Honorable Patrick Toomey
22. South Third Steet, Suite 6A United States Federal Building
Harrisburg PA 17101 228 Walnut Street, Suite 1104
Telephone 717.231-7540 Harrisburg PA 17101
Toll-free 866.461.9159 Telephone 717.782.3951
Fax 717.231.7542 Fax 717.782.4920
www.casey.senate.gov www.toomey.senate.gov
UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
The Honorable Todd Platts www.house.gov/platts
Carlisle Office: 59 W Louther Street
Carlisle PA 17013
Telephone 717.338.1919
Toll-free 877.902.1919
Fax 717.334.6314York Office: 2209 E Market Street
York PA 17402
Telephone 717.600.1919
Toll-free 877.902.1919
Fax 717.757.5001The Honorable Timothy Holden www.holden.house.gov
Harrisburg Office: 1151 N Front Street, 1st Floor
Harrisburg PA 17102
Telephone 717.234.5904
Fax 717.234.5918
