Editor:
Now that Obamacare has been ruled constitutional by the Supreme Court, the President and his advisors will be emboldened by this decision. The real reason that the HHS mandate changing the definition of religious practices was proposed was to see what the reaction would be from the religious community. This was a trial balloon. Since the reaction has been weak from the general religious population except for a few and the clergy, I think the next step is the real reason for this mandate: the abortion agenda. We know this president’s position on abortion on demand. The HHS Secretary has enormous powers under this Healthcare Law and I predict the next step will be forcing Catholic hospitals and clinics to provide abortion services and if not, expect the threat of loss of Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Unless the clergy and leadership of our church and other churches are more vocal now, it will be too late to be outraged when it happens, and it may not happen until after the election. Most Catholics that I talk with about this issue do not understand the significance of the HHS Mandate and/or don’t care because they think it is simply about birth control. Don’t expect any help from the mainstream media on this issue.
Richard Lipko
Audubon