Washington D.C., Nov 2, 2011 / 11:50 am
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee chairman, urged the Health and Human Services Department to respect religious beliefs as it considers finalizing a mandate that would require health insurance providers to cover contraception.
“Catholic organizations committed to their moral and religious teaching will have no choice but to stop providing health care and other services to the needy who are not Catholic, or stop providing health coverage to their own employees,” said Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston.
“This is an intolerable dilemma, and either choice will mean reduced access to health care.”
The Health and Human Services department announced federal rules on Aug. 1 that could require nearly all new health plans, including those of most religious agencies, to cover all government-approved methods of contraception as well as surgical sterilization.