Letter: Health & Human Services Ruling 'Tramples' Rights

To the Editor:

The First Amendment of the Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech…” Unfortunately, the recent Health and Human Services (HHS) ruling mandating all insurance plans to cover abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives, and sterilization services free of charge -- including plans offered by religious institutions who are morally opposed to such things -- tramples those rights.

Do not be fooled into thinking this HHS ruling is about contraception. Instead, it strikes at the heart of our basic rights that the First Amendment so succinctly records. The HHS ruling is a government edict that will force religious institutions and Catholics in general to go against a fundamental teaching of their faith.  Regardless of where you stand on religion, the HHS ruling and last week’s supposed “compromise” should appall everyone -- and this includes atheists.  The so-called “compromise” still infringes upon First Amendment rights and that is the issue here. It also brings into question the constitutionality of the government forcing a business (insurance companies) to offer products and services at a certain cost (free). I will stick with the First Amendment rights for this discussion.

Many generations dating back to the colonists have fought for the freedoms described in the Constitution. With this in mind, how tragically ironic is it that the Obama administration instructed Army chaplains not to read a bishop’s letter condemning the HHS ruling to current servicemen and women?

To be fair, the Catholic Church is not entirely free of guilt on this matter. Some prominent members of the church supported the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) after getting assurances from the Obama administration that the law would include moral exceptions. As we have learned with this HHS ruling, those assurances were thrown out the window. The Obama administration simply cannot be trusted to keep its word and therefore should not be trusted to stop here.

The Obamacare legislation gives vast powers to HHS to determine how the law will be administered. This latest ruling is just the first of many more that HHS will make and I am scared to think of what else may be coming in the future. If Obama is willing to throw out the First Amendment now, what else is he capable of doing? Keep in mind that this is an election year. What would the Obama administration do when an election was not at stake?

This ruling also goes beyond President Obama or any other current government official. For instance, to the Obama supporters -- would you be happy if President Bush had taken the same steps? In other words, we need to be cognizant of the fact that this ruling will affect future generations. What happens if someone that does not share your beliefs is allowed to wield such powers in the future? 

The Constitution was crafted in a way to ensure that there are always guarantees of freedoms, regardless of who is in power. Please do not discard those freedoms by letting this ruling stand. Senators Blumenthal and Lieberman and Congressman Himes all support the HHS ruling. I urge you to contact them and tell them that the ruling is a violation of the First Amendment and that you support Congressional amendments that will void this HHS ruling (the Blunt conscience protection amendment in the Senate and the Fortenberry amendment being written in the House). 

Here is how you can reach our Congressional representatives:

• Senator Blumenthal: (202) 224-2823
• Senator Lieberman: (202) 224-4041
• Congressman Himes: (202) 225-5541

Also, please keep this in mind when you cast your ballot in November. Will you trust politicians who blatantly ignore Constitutional rights or will you turn away from such people?

Jeffrey Melaragno