No one has spoken more forcefully and eloquently on the abominable Obama/HHS mandate than Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB),.

Speaking to The John Carroll Society (“an organization of Catholic professionals united in their desire for an ever deepening and enriching knowledge of their Faith and in service to the Archbishop of Washington”), Dolan delivered an eloquent speech with the eminently appropriate title of “Let Freedom Ring.”   Tracing the history of American freedom of religion, Dolan described this freedom as the “first line in the defense of and protection of human rights.”

Noting that people of faith have been a vital part of every major reform effort in America, he offered a chilling warning of what he called a “second omen”—the “direct intrusion of the government into the very definition of a church’s minister, ministries, message, and meaning.”  He was, of course, referring to the HHS/Obama mandate which orders religious institutions to comply with policies which violate the very core of their religious conscience.

Cardinal Dolan quoted Cardinal Wuerl who noted, “The mandates’ definition of a religious organization contradicts decades of precedent and practice.  Republicans and Democrats alike have long agreed that the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious liberty includes not only what goes on within the four walls of a church, but also the religiously motivated acts of service that fulfill the mission of that church.  Only now . . . has the government said that we must leave our conscience behind when we step into the public square.”

Cardinal Dolan did not use this occasion to talk about other direct assaults on religious liberties from the Obama Administration that include filing a brief with the Supreme Court arguing that churches had no special protection in the hiring and firing of their pastors (the Court unanimously disagreed), and denying a grant to the well-regarded bishops’ conference program to help the victims of human trafficking.

Cardinal Dolan reminded that the debate is not about a “war on women.” And “the defense of religious freedom is not some evangelical Christian polemic, or wily strategy of discredited Catholic bishops, but the quintessential American cause, the first line in the defense of and protection of human rights.”

He concluded, “So, my proposition is that, in ‘letting freedom ring,’ we citizens of any and all faiths, or none at all, are not just paranoid and self-serving in defending what we hoard as ‘ours,’ but we are, in fact, protecting America. We act not as sectarians, but as responsible citizens. We act on behalf of the truth about the human person.”

Paul Ryan delivered a moving and insightful address to the Values Voter Summit on September 14 which made several astute references to President Obama’s dismal record on the sanctity of human life.   Here are some excerpts of the Ryan speech:

“In 53 days, we have a choice between two very different ideas about our country – how we were meant to live, and what we were meant to be. …No politician is more skilled at striking heroic poses against imaginary adversaries. Nobody is better at rebuking nonexistent opinions. Barack Obama does this all the time, and in this campaign we are calling him on it. …’We’re all in this together’ – it has a nice ring. For everyone who loves this country, it is not only true but obvious. Yet how hollow it sounds coming from a politician who has never once lifted a hand to defend the most helpless and innocent of all human beings, the child waiting to be born.”

“We don’t write anyone off in America, especially those without a voice. Every child has a place and purpose in this world. Everyone counts, and in a just society the law should stand on the side of life.”

“Giving up any further pretense of moderation on this issue, and in complete disregard of millions of pro-life Democrats, President Obama has chosen to pander to the most extreme elements of his party.”

On the Obama Administration’s unprecedented attack on religious liberty—the HHS/Obama Mandate — Ryan said:

“This is what happened to the Catholic Church and Catholic Charities this past January, when the new mandates of Obamacare started coming. Never mind your own conscience, they were basically told, from now on you’re going to do things the government’s way.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you would be hard pressed to find another group in America that does more to serve the health of women and their babies than the Catholic Church and Catholic Charities. And now, suddenly, we have Obamacare bureaucrats presuming to dictate how they will do it.

“As Governor Romney has said, this mandate is not a threat and insult to one religious group – it is a threat and insult to every religious group. He and I are honored to stand with you – people of faith and concerned citizens – in defense of religious liberty.”

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Authorized and paid for by the Wisconsin Right to Life PAC, Richard Fox, Treasurer.  Not authorized by any candidate, candidate's agent or committee.