"This mandate gravely compromises religious liberty"
Daniel Cardinal DiNardo has said the recently-announced Department of Health and Human Services' mandate requiring employers to provide insured coverage of contraception and sterilization gravely compromises religious liberty.
 "The contraceptive/sterilization mandate imposed on health plans by H.H.S. violates religious freedom, which is guaranteed by the First Amendment and several federal laws. Forcing all employers to buy coverage for sterilization and contraceptives is a radical incursion into religious liberty and freedom of conscience," he said in a statement Jan. 20, the same day of the HHS announcement.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has sharply criticized this mandate as a violation of the fundamental freedom of religion.
Please stay tuned to this web page for updates from the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston on this important matter.
(Photo above by Catholic News Service)
Read below for information regarding:
 
Please click here for information on writing your Senators and Representatives in the U.S. Congress regarding the H.H.S. mandate.
Click here for a list of addresses for Texas Senators and for the U.S. Representatives of districts in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston.
Read the first statement by Cardinal DiNardo on the H.H.S. mandate.
Read Cardinal DiNardo's homily from the Jan. 23 Mass for the Vigil for Life in Washington, D.C. Cardinal DiNardo makes reference to the mandate during his homily at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
Visit the U.S. Bishops' web page on the H.H.S. rule, a mandate which forces nearly all private health plans to include coverage for all FDA-approved prescription contraceptive drugs and devices — services which violate the teachings of the Catholic Church. The exemption provided for "religious employers" is so narrow that it fails to cover the vast majority of faith-based organizations, including Catholic hospitals, universities, and service organizations that help millions every year.
More than 400 Catholic leaders have called on Congress and the Administration to protect conscience rights in health care.
Click here for the U.S. bishops' FAQ document on the mandate. | 
