Federal lawmakers, archdiocesan representatives and leaders of
companies and non-profit organizations came together at a Philadelphia
forum to publically support religious liberty from governmental threats.
“What brought us all here today is so much bigger than a single piece of
legislation or a political party; it is about protecting Americans’
First Amendment right to religious freedom,” said Rep. Diane Black
(R-Tenn.).
“Every American – religious or otherwise – has something to lose if this
administration prevails in their efforts to infringe upon a basic
Constitutional right.”
The June 21 forum was held during the 2013 Fortnight for Freedom, a
two-week period in which the U.S. bishops have asked Americans of all
faiths to engage in prayer, education and action to defend religious
freedom both at home and abroad.
Joining Rep. Black at the event were Congressmen Joe Pitts (R- Pa.) and
Chris Smith (R- N.J.). Francis Maier, senior advisor to Philadelphia
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, also spoke at the forum, along with Penny
Nance of the Concerned Women of America and Michael Geer of the
Pennsylvania Family Institute.
They were joined by Anthony Hahn, CEO of Conestoga Wood Specialties of
East Earl, Pa., which is currently fighting in court to protect its
First Amendment religious freedoms from the demands of the controversial
federal contraception mandate.
The mandate – issued by the Department of Health and Human Services –
requires employers to offer health insurance plans covering a full range
of abortion and contraception, even if doing so violates their
religious convictions.
In their remarks, the speakers at the forum said that the mandate –
which is the subject of lawsuits from more than 200 plaintiffs
nationwide – poses a threat to religious liberty throughout the United
States and to the rights of all Americans, regardless of whether they
are people of faith.
“For some Americans, businesses like Hobby Lobby, Hercules Industries
and Conestoga Wood Specialties, and the numerous Catholic charities,
living out their faith will soon mean facing the very real possibility
of shuttering their doors,” Black warned.
“But for all Americans the HHS mandate means a dangerous precedent that
undermines our most basic founding principles that have made our nation a
place where individuals can freely choose to practice or reject any
religion without fear of persecution from their own government,” she
said.
Speakers at the forum discussed the Health Care Conscience Rights Act,
introduced in Congress to provide an exemption for those who cannot in
good conscience abide by the HHS mandate.
Black said that the proposed bill would “protect the American people from this unprecedented violation of the First Amendment.”
Rep. Smith noted that the mandate also requires funding of drugs that
are known to cause early abortions if a human embryo has already been
created.
By forcing religious employers to violate their deeply held religious
beliefs, he argued, the administration “demonstrates a reckless
disregard for conscience rights.”
Congressman Pitts warned that the mandate violates constitutional
protections that were purposely put in place by the creators of the
American government.
“The Founding Fathers established a bill of rights because they knew
that the government would always be tempted to abuse its power,” he
said.
“The bureaucrats at HHS may feel that they know what is best for all
Americans, but being an American means the freedom to decide on your
own,” Pitts continued. “To let your convictions guide your life.”
Noting that he is neither Catholic nor Mennonite and does not personally
share the beliefs of those faiths “about what is morally
objectionable,” he stressed that he nonetheless does “believe in their
right to live and worship according to their beliefs of their faiths.”