I’ve been kinda grumpy today. I must have a Newt hangover. He came to visit the West Jawja area and I had tired of hearing about it, so I am not going to talk about it.
Moving on to other crazy people, there is Congressman Phil Gingrey, Republican from the 11th district of Jawja. Oh, that’s DOCTOR Gingrey, pro life OB-GYN.
A friend dropped this letter from Dr. Gingrey into my email box this morning…….
Dear Friend:
Thank you for contacting me to express your opinion regarding Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulation that will require mandatory coverage of contraceptives, sterilization, and abortifacients for religious institutions. As your Congressman, I appreciate hearing your thoughts and welcome every opportunity to be of service.
As you may know, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced on January 20, 2012 that an agency regulation stemming from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148)—commonly referred to as ObamaCare—will require mandatory coverage of contraceptives, sterilization, and abortifacients, regardless of whether such coverage infringes upon the religious rights of individuals or businesses.
I believe that this regulation is a direct assault on our constitutionally protected right of freedom of religion. Employers must now choose between offering health insurance coverage to their employees or risk federal penalties if they exercise their religious beliefs. Religious charities will now have to choose between their convictions and providing food, clothing, medical care, and education to those who are most in need.
Unfortunately, many religious institutions have reported that they will be forced to close their doors rather than compromise their religious beliefs. Currently, religious employers include charities, hospitals, community clinics, universities, and other non-profits that provide free services to millions of Americans and insurance coverage for their employees.
To that end, Representative Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE) has introduced legislation – H.R. 1179, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011 – that would permit a health plan to decline coverage of specific items and services that are contrary to the religious beliefs of the sponsor, issuer, or other entity. Furthermore, this important issue of conscience protection was the subject of a hearing in the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held on November 2, 2011.
As a cosponsor of H.R. 1179 and a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, please be assured that I will continue to monitor this situation closely.
Sincerely, Blah Blah blah
Energy and Commerce committee? Ooooo-Kay!
I was under the impression that “Freedom of Religion” was meant for the individuals practicing a religion, not the religious institutions. I thought the religious institutions existed because people came together to create them.
