Obamacare’s Pro-Abortion HHS Mandate Marks One Year Anniversary

/0 Comments/in /by

The pro-abortion mandate that is a part of Obamacare marks its one-year anniversary today — forcing religious groups to pay for birth control and drugs that may cause abortions. Enforcement of the mandate is expected to begin in January.

The mandate went into effect last year on August 1 and the very minimal religious protections were set to go into effect today, but they will be implemented and enforcement will take place starting on January 1.

Matt Smith, President of Catholic Advocate, lamented the anniversary of the mandate in an email to LifeNews.

“This is more than unacceptable; it’s un-American. But Congress failed to act when we lobbied them to institute conscience protections legislation and only President Obama can prevent this destructive mandate from going into effect…but we both know that will never happen,” he said.

“We owe it to ourselves and our fellow Americans of faith to do whatever we can do try to reverse this historic attack on religious liberty. And more importantly, we owe it to future generations to make sure an attack like this can never happen again by passing conscience protections legislation immediately,” he said.

Kristan Hawkins, the head of Students for Life of America, also condemned today’s anniversary.

“Today, August 1st, is the Obama administration’s original deadline to force all religious employers to comply with their abortion-drug (HHS) mandate,” she said.

Hawkins said “many folks don’t know what’s happening today and that has been done on purpose. Over the past two years, President Obama and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius have purposely made everything about the abortion-drug (HHS) mandate and $1 abortion surcharge mandate confusing.”

“When Obamacare was passed, it gave the Department of Health and Human Services, led by an extreme abortion supporter – Kathleen Sebelius – the ability to decide what services and prescriptions must be covered by all insurance companies across America. They labeled pregnancy as a “preventable disease” therefore requiring that chemical contraception be covered by all insurance carriers,” she explained. “This decision went against many American’s pro-life and religious beliefs because we know chemical contraception can cause early abortions (especially drugs like the morning after pill, Plan B) and has been proven to cause breast cancer, and has been labeled as a Type 1 carcinogen (just like cigarettes) by the World Health Organization.”

“Immediately, religious employers like Catholic hospitals and schools and private businesses led by Christians, opposed this abortion-drug (HHS) mandate. President Obama and his administration have fought these employers every step of the way declaring that providing abortion-causing drugs to female employees and the daughters of employees does not violate an employer’s conscience,” Hawkins said.

Hawkins concluded: “This June, President Obama’s administration said that they would “compromise” by delaying, for the second-time, the August 1, 2013 enforcement of this abortion-drug mandate until January 1, 2014. Incidentally, this is the same day that many Americans will start paying (without a choice) $1 a month from their insurance premiums to go into an abortion slush fund – remember this was the Obama administration’s “compromise” to pass Obamacare that abortion didn’t have to be in every insurance plan, just that insurance carriers had to pay $1 per person, out of their collected revenues from you and I, enrolled in their exchange plans each month into an abortion fund.”

Earlier this month, a federal court granted Hobby Lobby a preliminary injunction against the HHS abortion-drug mandate. The injunction prevents the Obama administration from enforcing the mandate against the Christian company, which does not want to be compelled to pay for birth control or drugs that may cause abortions.

“The tide has turned against the HHS mandate,” said Kyle Duncan, General Counsel with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and lead attorney for Hobby Lobby. “This is a major victory for not only Hobby Lobby, but the religious liberty of all for-profit businesses.”

Duncan says there are now 63 separate lawsuits challenging the HHS mandate. The Becket Fund led the charge against the unconstitutional HHS mandate. The Becket Fund currently represents: Hobby Lobby, Wheaton College, East Texas Baptist University, Houston Baptist University, Colorado Christian University, the Eternal Word Television Network, Ave Maria University, and Belmont Abbey College.

The most recent polling data from December 2012 shows Americans support a religious exemption to the mandate.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article indicated the mandate went into effect today, rather than saying the mandate was marking its anniversary today.

Pa. Governor Corbett Properly Moves to Halt Public Official from Violating Pa. Marriage Law

/0 Comments/in /by

PHILADELPHIA – Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network (PPN, www.papastors.net) is encouraged that the Corbett administration has taken action in Commonwealth Court to halt the official breaking of Pennsylvania state law, that recognizes marriage law between one man and one woman, by the Montgomery County register of wills who was issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

Since mid-July, when Attorney General Kathleen Kane called the state’s law banning homosexual marriage unconstitutional, Register of Wills D. Bruce Hanes has illegally issued 34 licenses to homosexual couples.

Sam Rohrer, President of the Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network says, “I am encouraged by Governor Corbett’s decision to use his authority to stop the intentional breaking of law by a local elected official. As I and others stated in our July 17 press conference at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Attorney General Kane’s public refusal to uphold her oath of office and defend the State’s Marriage Law would encourage greater lawlessness. The actions of Register of Wills, Hanes is but the first example. Governor Corbett is justified to use his authority to seek the compliance with the law as the Constitution demands and he is appropriately and lawfully also defending natural marriage between one man and one woman.

“Pennsylvania’s DOMA clearly states that marriage in Pennsylvania is the union of one man and one woman. When two elected officials (Kane and Hanes) or any other, think that they can act above the law, demonstrate political tyranny and encourage lawlessness, it is critical that the citizens know that they will be held accountable to the law by others in elected office who share the responsibility to ensure that law is upheld by all in public office. We are encouraging all elected officials to heed the example, in this instance that Governor Corbett has displayed. The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network urges pastors to earnestly preach the Absolute Truth of God’s Word and to teach that civil freedom can only survive when people self-govern their own actions according to the Commands of God.”

The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network is a group of biblically faithful clergy and church liaisons whose objective is to build a permanent infrastructure of like-minded clergy who affirm the authority of Scripture, take seriously Jesus’ command to be the “salt and light” to the culture, encourage informed Christian thinking about contemporary social issues; examine public policy issues without politicizing their pulpits and engage their congregations in taking part in our political process on a non-partisan basis.

The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network website continues to offer a wealth of resources to pastors to help them equip their congregations to live a Christian life, from sermon notes to corporate prayers for our nation, to resources for laypeople, covering everything from preparation to finances.

The Pennsylvania Pastors’ Network is a state chapter affiliate of the American Pastors’ Network. The American Pastors’ Network is a Ministry Program Affiliate of Capstone Legacy Foundation (a 501 C3 non-profit organization). To contact them visit. www.papastors.net or call 610-584.1225.

###

To schedule interviews with Sam Rohrer, President of the PA Pastors’ Network, contact Deborah Hamilton at dhamilton@hamiltonstrategies.com, 215-815-7716 or 610-584-1096.

Texas Planned Parenthood’s Fraud Was $4.3 Million, Three Times More Than Announced

/0 Comments/in /by

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced on July 24 that his office had obtained a $1.4 million settlement against Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast for Medicaid fraud, with the settlement to be split between the state of Texas, the federal government, and the whistleblower (former PPGC employee Karen Reynolds).

It turns out the AG was apparently only announcing his state’s cut. The total settlement is actually $4.3 million – almost $3 million more than previously known. From the Houston Chronicle today:

Planned Parenthood’s Houston-based affiliate clarified Tuesday that it settled for $4.3 million, three times the $1.4 million that Abbott reported a week ago.

His spokesman tried to explain the discrepancy, indicating Abbott intended to announce the smaller amount, which represents the “state’s designation.” But it’s unclear why Abbott wouldn’t have announced the whole amount.

The attorney general also jumped the gun with his press release, announcing the settlement before it had been finalized. (It has since been signed by all parties.)

When I called the AG’s press office to help me understand the discrepancy I was greeted by a surprisingly rude man who wouldn’t even give me his name. His response before hanging up, “It means the investigation is not over.” Ok. Still don’t understand, but there you go.

Despite the confusion this would all seem to be good news, although the original charge was that PPGC “submitted more than $30 million in fraudulent bills between 2003 and 2009,” according to the Houston Chronicle, July 30.

“If the original claim that PP defrauded the taxpayer of $30 million is near accurate, it means that PP settled for 15 cents on the dollar,” wrote American Life League’s Jim Sedlak to me in an email. “No incentive there to stop committing Medicaid fraud.”

Abby Johnson’s lawsuit against the same Planned Parenthood affiliate is still not settled. Abby alleges PPGC committed “over $5.7 million in fraud,” according to her legal representation, Alliance Defending Freedom.

LifeNews.com Note: Jill Stanek fought to stop “live birth abortions” after witnessing one as an RN at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. That led to the Born Alive Infants Protection Act legislation, signed by President Bush, that would ensure that proper medical care be given to unborn children who survive botched abortion attempts.