ChristianPress.com: Your Christian News Authority!

Over one hundred Catholic bishops and institutions across the nation, including Illinois, has issued statements denouncing the Obama administration's national requirement to include contraception in employees' health benefits. Bishop Thomas G. Doran of the Rockford, Ill. Diocese issued a strongly worded statement urging parishes to stand up against what he calls an assault on religious liberty.

“The federal government, which claims to be ‘of, by and for the people,’ has just dealt a heavy blow to at least a quarter of those people--the Catholic population--and the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful,” reads the letter, which is signed by Bishop Doran.

The Affordable Care Act mandates faith-based employers offer employees’ health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs and contraception. Bishops across the nation are asking Catholics to voice their opposition by contacting Congress to support legislation that would reverse the Obama Administrations health care reform law.

“We cannot – we will not – comply with this unjust law,” the statement said. “People of faith cannot be made second class citizens. We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom.”

Catholic Church teachings oppose contraceptive use. According to church teaching, suppressing fertility by using contraception denies part of the inherent meaning of married sexuality and does harm to the couple’s unity.

Doran’s letter reads “Unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics must be prepared either to violate our consciences, or drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so)."

While churches themselves are exempt from the law, religious affiliated institutions, including non-profits, schools and hospitals, must comply by August 2013. On Jan. 20 the Department of Health and Human Services finalized a rule requiring “preventive care” insurance coverage for sterilizations and contraception, including the abortifacient drug Ella.

Barack Obama won the Catholic vote in 2008 in his bid for the White House. Catholics supported Obama over GOP nominee John McCain by a nine-point margin (54 percent vs. 45 percent). By contrast, four years ago, Catholics favored Republican incumbent George W. Bush over Kerry by a five-point margin (52 percent to 47 percent).

Les Rayburn, a political realist and highly decorated combat veteran, said President Obama lied to Catholics to get their support in 2008.

“This is flat wrong on so many levels,” said Rayburn. “It is about time to stand up to Obama. He threw the Jews under the bus and now he has thrown the Catholics under the bus. Maybe people are going to wake up and realize that it is time to break away from the Democratic Party because they really don’t take care of [Jews and Catholics].”

Under the change, the Department of Health and Human Services is giving organizations up to a year to comply, but religious liberty experts believe the law is certain to face a legal challenge. Two religious colleges have already sued over the law.

Russ Jones is a twenty-year award winning journalist and correspondent. He is co-publisher of various Christian news sites such as ChristianPress.com and a media consultant. He is also a freelance correspondent for the American Family Radio Network, Crosswalk.com and various Christian TV networks. Jones holds degrees from the University of Missouri-Columbia and St. Paul School of Theology. Russ enjoys keeping his mind engaged in the academic arena teaching subjects like Introduction to World Religions, Intro. to Mass Communication, Ethics,  Death and Dying and Biblical Literature. Russ is married to Jackie and together they have four children. He may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .