Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb.
“Forcing faith-based employers like Catholic universities, hospitals, and charities to pay for abortion-triggering drugs and contraception services that they consider immoral, was a horrible misstep. It was an attack on the free exercise of religion, guaranteed to Americans by the U.S. Constitution... .”
Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb.
“...For the federal government to require every health care plan in the country to include contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs is wrong. This is not about who's put in charge of making sure it happens. If it is forced by the government, religious organizations still must provide it and that's a violation of conscience rights, period. ...”
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa
“The most important thing in this debate is that women have access to the preventive health services that they need, want and deserve — and that includes contraception. I am pleased the president is continuing to insist that this is the case and I am going to do everything in my power to ensure that is the case while this final rule is being written.”
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa
“Adhering to one of this country's most valued principles shouldn't be an afterthought. ...The administration's attempt to reverse this outright affront to religious freedom falls short and continues to highlight the concern of many of us that the health care law overreaches into personal freedoms and liberties.”
Deacon Tim McNeil, chancellor of the Omaha Archdiocese
“The announcement today signals a desire to engage in dialogue concerning the mandate. While there may be an openness to respond to some of our concerns, we reserve judgment on the details until we have them. The Catholic Church hopes to work with the administration to guarantee that Americans' consciences and our religious freedom are not harmed by these regulations.”
Attorney General Jon Bruning
“The administration's new proposal still tramples on religious freedom by requiring support of activity that violates the conscience and beliefs of millions of Americans.”
WASHINGTON — Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., was having none of President Barack Obama's attempt Friday at a compromise with religious groups over new rules aimed at ensuring women have access to free contraception.
"The president still doesn't understand that religious institutions will still be unacceptably entangled — financially and provisionally — with drugs, procedures and services to which they may have religious and moral objections, in violation of their long-held rights of conscience," Fortenberry said after Obama's announcement.
The Lincoln lawmaker introduced legislation nearly a year ago that would repeal contraception coverage requirements and allow religious institutions, health care providers and small businesses that pay for health coverage to refuse to offer such services.
As the issue gained momentum over the past week, Fortenberry has been angling for his bill to be the measure behind which opponents of the requirements unite. It's a well-researched proposal that could be debated immediately, he said.
And his Respect for Rights of Conscience Act is getting traction. Fortenberry said Friday that it now has 180 co-sponsors, including some Democrats, as well as the support of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Right to Life Committee and other organizations that oppose abortion.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., is sponsoring companion legislation in the Senate.
While Obama was seeking to find a compromise on the issue this week, Republicans on Capitol Hill were ready to push forward with legislation.
"This announcement still does not get to the very core of American distress: Religious freedom and conscience rights are natural rights as enshrined in the Constitution," Fortenberry said. "The government does not confer them and must not force persons to violate them by paying for things to which they have reasoned religious or moral objections."
Supporters of the contraception coverage requirement say Republicans are just trying to attack the president and score political points with divisive rhetoric.
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, noted that birth control can cost hundreds of dollars a year. He said he doesn't recall GOP outrage that 28 states already require health insurance plans to cover birth control.
"This is just, again, an attempt by the Republicans to divide us up as a country, and the people that are going to be hurt by it . are the women of America, and I'm not going to stand for it," Harkin said earlier in the week. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that the women of this country get the preventative health services they need and they want and they deserve."
Harkin said after Friday's announcement that he was pleased Obama was continuing to insist that women have access to preventive services such as contraception.
Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., a co-sponsor of Blunt's bill, was among those unhappy with Obama's compromise, which he denounced as a "betrayal to people of faith."
Johanns has said that the root of the conflict can be traced back to the new health care law. Johanns said he warned that there were issues regarding conscience rights that weren't properly addressed in that legislation.
"Unfortunately, 60 votes were secured, all Democrats, no Republicans, and at the end of the day, the bill passed, and now we are battling these kinds of issues," Johanns said.
Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., provided the key 60th vote for the health care bill after pressing for changes related to abortion. He said the compromise he brokered preserved prohibitions on federal funding of abortion, although prominent anti-abortion organizations disagreed.
Nelson had harsh words this week for the administration's initial approach to the contraception coverage requirements.
"This was a boneheaded decision by the Department of HHS," Nelson told reporters midweek. "There's no other way to describe it, a very narrow interpretation. It's just plain wrong."
Nelson, a co-sponsor of Blunt's legislation, said Wednesday that the administration "can't be trusted to come up with the right answer on this."
Nelson said Friday that he was reserving judgment on Obama's proposed revisions to the policy. It's a good sign that he is working to address the concerns that have been raised, Nelson said.
"In trying to find a solution, it's like a puzzle: We need to see if all of the pieces fit. They must fit in a way to safeguard Americans' strongly held moral and religious principles," Nelson said.
Contact the writer:
202-630-4823, joe.morton@owh.com
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