Washington D.C., Jul 19, 2012 / 23:09 pm
The U.S. bishops have praised the inclusion of new legislative provisions that, if passed, could prevent financial penalties from being levied against institutions that don't comply with the controversial HHS mandate that requires coverage for sterilization and contraception, including abortion-causing drugs.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston on July 18 thanked the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor/HHS action that added two provisions to the annual appropriations bill.
The subcommittee, he said, took "a first, urgently needed step toward upholding rights of conscience and religious freedom in our health care system."
The cardinal welcomed the inclusion of the policy from the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act in the House appropriations bill. He said it will ensure that the 2010 health care legislation "allows Americans to purchase health coverage without being forced to abandon their deeply held religious and moral convictions on matters such as abortion and sterilization."