With prayer and calls to Congress, Catholics are mounting a massive 14-day campaign to force the administration to withdraw its health care mandate on religious institutions. The effort heeds the call of Catholic bishops to pray, fast and organize against the controversial mandate during their “Fortnight to Freedom” that begins Thursday.
The movement described to Secrets by the Catholic Association will include emails to 1 million activists, a 60-second TV ad premiering on Fox that targets President Obama, a Facebook campaign and a call on all Catholics to commit to an action item such as prayer, calling their lawmaker or making a donation.
“This is not a Democrat or Republican issue, this is a freedom and First Amendment issue,” said TCA Senior Fellow, Ashley McGuire. “The mandate empowers the federal government to redefine what is and is not religious to such an extreme point that not even Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity will be considered a religious organization,” McGuire said.
Catholic groups argue that the Health and Human Services Department mandate would require religious institutions to offer health insurance coverage of birth control and abortion, violating the Church’s morals. In the 60-second ad that includes a picture of the president, the announcer says, “We will defend our right to practice our faith free from government coercion.”
“It is so critical that Catholics stand together in defense of religious freedom and to preserve Catholic and other religious institutions’ and employers’ rights and ability to serve the common good,” said Maureen Ferguson, TCA’s Senior Policy Advisor. “If the federal government can mandate what is and what is not religious, what will they mandate next?” Ferguson said.
The association said in a release that the action “is necessary because the Obama administration has engaged in a stunning attack on our right to practice our faith, most notably by mandating that virtually all employers, including religious employers like Catholic charities, schools, and hospitals, provide free abortion inducing-drugs, contraception, and sterilization in their health plans.”
