| Obama's Contraception Accommodation Panned As "Radically Inadequate" |
| Feb-01-2013 |
| Keywords: obama, contraception accommodation, contraception, mandate, religious, faith, church |
The Department of Health and Human Services on Friday unveiled a long awaited "accommodation" to religious organizations resisting the contraception mandate written into ObamaCare.
Under the new rule, still yet to be finalized, nonprofit religious organizations would be able to offer their employee health insurance that did not include coverage for contraception. Instead, it would be up to the employee to inform the insurance company that they wish contraception coverage. The coverage would then be provided to the employee at no cost to them or their religious organization employer.
However the "accommodation" offers no opt-out option for employers who have religious based objections to offering free contraception coverage to their employees.
"After over a year of litigation, our clients and many others like them were hoping for much, much more from the administration," Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which has represented several religious-affiliated schools suing over the rule.
"The rights of family businesses like Hobby Lobby are still being violated," Duncan said.
Hobby Lobby, which sued the administration over the rule, would not be given the choice to "opt-out" because it is not a religious organization - rather a company owner which has objected to offering employees contraception on religious and moral grounds.
In late December, Hobby Lobby was denied a hearing by the Supreme Court when it sought to protect itself from the mandate.
CEO David Green argued that his family would have to either "violate their faith by covering abortion-causing drugs or be exposed to severe penalties."
Critics said Friday that all businesses should be exempt if they want, while also voicing concern that religious-affiliated groups would still be "conduits" for contraceptives.
Another group that has been supportive of the administration in the past, Catholics United, praised the proposal Friday.
"This is a victory not only for the Obama administration, but for the Catholic Church," director James Salt said. |
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Posted by Lou Dobbs Staff at 1:00 AM Email to a friend |
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