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EWTN Sues U.S. Government To Stop Contraception Mandate
EWTN ^ | Feb.09 2012

Posted on 02/09/2012 12:17:58 PM PST by mware

EWTN Sues U.S. Government To Stop Contraception Mandate Network Asks Court to Stop Order to Pay for Immoral Services

Irondale, AL (EWTN) – EWTN Global Catholic Network filed a lawsuit February 9 in U.S. District Court in Birmingham, Alabama against the Department of Health & Human Services, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and other government agencies seeking to stop the imposition of the contraception mandate as well as asking the court for a declaratory judgment that the mandate is unconstitutional. EWTN is the first Catholic organization to file suit since the final HHS rules were published by the Obama administration on January 20, 2012.

"We had no other option but to take this to the courts," says EWTN President and CEO Michael P. Warsaw. "Under the HHS mandate, EWTN is being forced by the government to make a choice: either we provide employees coverage for contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs and violate our conscience or offer our employees and their families no health insurance coverage at all. Neither of those choices is acceptable."

The lawsuit was filed on EWTN's behalf by Mark Rienzi, Kyle Duncan, and Erik Kniffin from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

"We are taking this action to defend not only ourselves but also to protect other institutions – Catholic and non-Catholic, religious and secular – from having this mandate imposed upon them," Warsaw continued. "The government is forcing EWTN, first, to inform its employees about how to get contraception, sterilization and abortifacient drugs, a concept known as forced speech. To make the matter worse, the government then will force EWTN to use its donors' funds to pay for these same morally objectionable procedures or to pay for the huge fines it will levy against us if we fail to provide health care insurance. There is no question that this mandate violates our First Amendment rights. This is a moment when EWTN, as a Catholic organization, has to step up and say that enough is enough. Our hope is that our lawsuit does just that."


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Government
KEYWORDS: bhohealthcare; conscienceclause; ewtn; lawsuit
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Go to the link to sign the petition.
1 posted on 02/09/2012 12:18:04 PM PST by mware
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To: mware
And so it begins.....

Can Zero really be this stupid? Personally, I think this is all calculated to see just how far they can go.

But why in an election year....??

2 posted on 02/09/2012 12:24:02 PM PST by Victor (If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert." -David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister)
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To: Victor
I really don't get it.

They created a firestorm, by attempting to renege on the conscience clause of this bill.

All the same to me, SCOTUS ought to dump the entire law just on this issue.

3 posted on 02/09/2012 12:27:28 PM PST by mware (By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West)
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To: mware

Catholic Spring?


4 posted on 02/09/2012 12:28:19 PM PST by ILS21R (Never give up.)
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To: Victor
Obama did it now.

They got Mother Angelica mad at them.

She is in good with God.

5 posted on 02/09/2012 12:29:09 PM PST by mware (By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West)
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To: ILS21R

I sure hope it is a Catholic Spring come November.


6 posted on 02/09/2012 12:30:30 PM PST by mware (By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West)
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To: NYer; Salvation; narses; holdonnow; HonestConservative; PennsylvaniaMom; Cicero; Morgana; ...

Ping


7 posted on 02/09/2012 12:33:33 PM PST by AliVeritas (Pray. God's will be done. Abortion leaves two victims, the mother and the child.)
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To: mware
Go to the link to sign the petition.

Done. I hope everyone signs.

8 posted on 02/09/2012 12:50:00 PM PST by sockmonkey
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To: mware

Good — I hope many other suits are in the works!


9 posted on 02/09/2012 12:51:50 PM PST by maryz
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To: sockmonkey
Thanks, sockmonkey.

I think Obama bit off more than he could chew.

What arrogance, to think he could undo 2000 years of faith with some man made law.

10 posted on 02/09/2012 12:55:51 PM PST by mware (By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West)
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To: maryz

I wonder if the Knight of Columbus have something in the works.


11 posted on 02/09/2012 12:57:47 PM PST by mware (By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Men of the West)
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To: Victor

Why in election year you ask ??

Some of us expect a war in the middle east to unfold before November and liberties to be further restricted here if only to stop elections.

Win/win for obama.


12 posted on 02/09/2012 1:14:46 PM PST by George from New England
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To: mware
Is there anything to prevent every diocese in the US from filing suit -- apart from the pusillanimity of the bishops, I mean? ;-)

I've wonder for years why the MA dioceses didn't file against the state on religious liberty grounds . . .

13 posted on 02/09/2012 1:24:24 PM PST by maryz
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To: NYer; monkapotamus; wagglebee; All

OH OH Obama got MOther Anglica be tick off with him ROFL


14 posted on 02/09/2012 2:01:46 PM PST by SevenofNine (We are Freepers, all your media belong to us ,resistance is futile)
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To: NYer; monkapotamus; wagglebee; All

OH OH Obama got MOther Anglica be tick off with him ROFL


15 posted on 02/09/2012 2:02:04 PM PST by SevenofNine (We are Freepers, all your media belong to us ,resistance is futile)
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To: mware; netmilsmom; thefrankbaum; Tax-chick; GregB; saradippity; Berlin_Freeper; Litany; ...
Go to the link to sign the petition.

Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list


16 posted on 02/09/2012 2:02:23 PM PST by NYer ("Be kind to every person you meet. For every person is fighting a great battle." St. Ephraim)
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To: AliVeritas

Thank you AliVeritas,
I just signed.


17 posted on 02/09/2012 2:37:40 PM PST by sayuncledave (et Verbum caro factum est (And the Word was made flesh))
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To: NYer

HEY NYER I ready sign it already

Yeah leave it to Obama tick off sweet Mother Anglica


18 posted on 02/09/2012 2:42:13 PM PST by SevenofNine (We are Freepers, all your media belong to us ,resistance is futile)
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To: mware

Someone said they’re doing this to get the focus off of the economy. Talking about the economy is a losing issue for Obama with everybody. At least this issue shores up Obama’s leftist base and could increase campaign donations.


19 posted on 02/09/2012 2:48:29 PM PST by JediJones (Newt-er Romney in 2012!)
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To: SevenofNine

Thanks!


20 posted on 02/09/2012 4:55:08 PM PST by monkapotamus
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