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The
Daily Signal
Obama
Administration ‘Doubles Down’ on Fight Against Nuns
by Kelsey Harkness
September 09, 2014
The Obama administration has decided to continue its legal battle
against Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic charity that objects to
Obamacare’s mandate that employee health plans cover contraceptives and
abortion-inducing drugs.
The order of Catholic nuns argues that the rule fashioned by the
Department of Health and Human Services requires them to violate their
religious beliefs by offering insurance coverage for 20 specific drugs
and devices — some of which the nuns believe could destroy what they
consider a human life.
If the Little Sisters of the Poor choose not to abide by the HHS
mandate, they face devastating fines by the Internal Revenue Service
that could result in millions of dollars a year being diverted from
their mission of caring for elderly women and men.
Sarah Torre, a policy analyst in The Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center
for Religion and Civil Society who tracks the legal trail of the HHS
mandate, said:
"It’s really incredible, even after so many losses in federal court,
that the Obama administration is doubling down to enforce this coercive
mandate against religious organizations – even against charities like
the Little Sisters of the Poor who do such necessary and effective work
serving those in need."
Attorneys with the Department of Justice yesterday filed a legal brief
in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in Denver. The action
came on the heels of the Obama administration’s “eighth try” to
reconcile the HHS mandate with the constitutional guarantee of
religious liberty.
The latest revision of the rule, on Aug. 22, would allow religious
nonprofits such as the Little Sisters of the Poor to write a letter to
HHS informing the government of their objection on religious grounds.
The government then would direct the employer’s insurance company or
third-party administrator to cover the objectionable drugs, devices or
services.
For the rest of this article, go to The Daily Signal
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