Washington D.C., Sep 23, 2012 / 16:56 pm
Thousands of women across the country are leading grassroots efforts to make their voices heard in opposition to the federal contraception and sterilization mandate.
The Women Speak for Themselves movement is driven by "things that women are deciding to do on their own," said Meg McDonnell, who has been assisting the group from early in its existence.
McDonnell told CNA on Sept. 20 that the movement has received "hundreds of e-mails" about women's efforts to defend religious freedom, including prayer campaigns, local rallies, blog posts, discussions with elected representatives, voter registration drives, billboards and letters to the editor.
The movement began in February, when George Mason law professor Helen Alvaré and former Thomas More Law Center counsel Kim Daniels wrote a letter responding to the controversial federal mandate that requires employers to offer free contraception, sterilization and abortion-causing drugs in their health care plans, regardless of their religious and moral objections.