Gigantic Battle Looms over HHS Mandate

On day one of his administration, Governor Romney would have evoked he horrendous HHS mandate which forces religious institutions to provide drugs and service in violation of conscience. Romney lost, and so did the promise to have this extreme denial of freedom of speech hit the dust bin.

The mandate is scheduled to be fully enforced in August of 2013, but Catholic and other church officials are vehement that this is not the end. Several strategies are emerging:

1. Richard Doerflinger, the top pro-life lobbyist in Washington, DC for the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, says the next push will be for a mandate exemption in the upcoming Labor/HHS appropriations bill for fiscal year 2013. The exemption is likely to pass in the House and is a possibility in the Senate, according to Doerflinger. The key is attaching the exemption to must-pass legislation such as an appropriations bill, with the remaining question of whether President Obama would sign legislation which contains the exemption.

2. Numbers of lawsuits have been filed across the country asking that the mandate be declared unconstitutional. The issue is likely to reach the U.S. Supreme Court at some point, but it is unclear whether the Court can or will resolve the issue before the August deadline.

3. Catholic bishops are adamant that they will not give in to the Obama administration’s goal of defining what constitutes a religion. Speaking to the Associated Press, Cardinal Timothy Dolan stated that: “The only thing we’re certainly not prepared to do is give in. We’re not violating our consciences. I would say no door is closed except for the door to capitulation.”

This battle is far from over.

Barbara Lyons