The U.S.  Senate’s 51-48 vote March 1 to table the bipartisan Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (S. 1467), sponsored by Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) and 37 other senators, impels the Church to strengthen its resolve to support religious freedom. Both of Pennsylvania’s Senators Pa

Exaggerations and outright misrepresentations about the Department of Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate have been appearing in White House “fact sheets” and mainstream media. The Catholic News Service addresses some of the more frequently cited claims

There has been much reaction to the recent HHS edict that will force Catholics to violate their conscience. Bishop David Zubik of the Diocese of Pittsburgh wrote, “It is really hard to believe that it happened. It comes like a slap in the face. The Obama administration has just

By now you’ve heard of the Department of Health and Human Service’s (HHS) religious liberty-violating mandate that employers must cover sterilization, abortion-causing drugs and contraception. The directive includes no real regard for religious beliefs or dictates of conscience, and w

Thousands of our fellow Pennsylvanians are travelling to Washington, D.C., today to mark the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade.  On Friday, the Obama Administration announced that it would not honor the request of millions of Americans by allowing for a conscience exemption in its requireme

The following is a column by Sr. Mary Ann Walsh, Director of Media Relations at the USCCB: Health and Human Services (HHS) acted to protect kids Dec. 7 when HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius rejected a recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to let stores sell powerful

September 30 marked the end of the public comment period on the “preventive services” mandate from the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which fails to provide conscience protection and requires private health plans to cover female surgical sterilization and contra

Steven Bozza, director of the Respect Life Office at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, has written a letter to the editor in the Philadelphia Inquirer about the HHS mandate and religious liberty. In his letter, “Patient protection act poses serious threat to our autonomy,”

“Religious ‘exemption’ in the mandate fails miserably to assure that religious conscience is protected” The Catholic Bishops of Pennsylvania yesterday reaffirmed their strong opposition to the mandate issued by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which would viol

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT HHS AND CONGRESS In implementing the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the new health care reform law), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently issued a rule requiring almost all private health plans to cover contraception a