Life, liberty and the pursuit

Editor Patrick Novecosky argues that the HHS contraception mandate is immoral . . .

Patrick Novecosky

In our post-Christian American culture, patriotism is on the decline. But it’s a different story among church-going Christians. In my estimation, that uptick in patriotic fervor is directly related to the growing opposition to the socialist bent of the Obama administration and its flagship healthcare legislation, which was signed into law just two years ago.

Despite denials by the administration and the mainstream, Catholics and other people of good will recognize that forcing employers of any faith to provide insurance coverage for contraception and abortion-inducing drugs is a direct violation of the Constitution. I’m no legal scholar, but I understand what the Founding Fathers meant by “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Catholic teaching on the evils of contraception is clear. Even the World Health Organization (WHO) backs up the Church’s position. In 2005, a division of the WHO declared combined estrogen-progestogen oral contraceptives as carcinogenic. Yet the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) wants every American woman to have free access to these cancer-causing drugs. If that’s not a war on women, I don’t know what is.

ObamaCare has a lot more surprises for the American public, according to a new video produced by the Alliance Defense Fund.

When fully implemented, the 2,700-page law will force you to pay for life-saving drugs. Life-ending drugs, however, are free. You may also be forced to pay a premium directly from your paycheck to cover elective abortions. The law also has a gag rule that forces insurance companies and employers not to tell you which plans include an abortion premium until the time you enroll.

Employers are forced by law to comply with the ObamaCare mandates. If your insurance plan doesn’t comply, you’ll be fined $100 per employee per day. If you don’t offer insurance at all, you’ll be hit with a $2,000 annual fine per employee. The law makes every employer and employee complicit in ensuring that abortion on demand becomes part of the American way of life (no pun intended). So it should be no surprise that the Obama administration worked closely with Planned Parenthood to write these anti-life mandates.

Legatus and dozens of other organizations have challenged the law’s constitutionality in court. (Click here for related story) As litigation continues, let your zeal for America and your Catholic faith drive you to pray for our nation. America was founded on ideals that still matter, but we must never lose our passion for defending them.

Patrick Novecosky is Legatus magazine’s editor.