Lugar Calls for Overturn of ObamaCare Forced Coverage of Contraception and Other Services

Press Release

In response to the January 20 Obama Administration ruling that virtually all private health plans must cover contraception, sterilization and abortifacients, U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar has cosponsored the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, S. 1467.

"The government should not require employers to provide coverage for contraception and sterilization services that are contrary to religious beliefs or moral convictions. In addition to supporting the Respect of Conscience Act, I have voted in support of conscience provisions related to abortion and the rights of medical providers to opt-out of related training or performing such procedures.

"The House and Senate should take up this measure quickly to overturn this decision by the Obama Administration," Lugar said. "This should occur long before the enforcement deadline of August 1, 2013 so that there is no uncertainty."

The bill is strongly endorsed by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and many religiously affiliated employers.

Lugar is also a cosponsor of the "No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act" which would also make permanent earlier legislation he supported including the Hyde Amendment, the Helms Amendment, the Smith FEHBP Amendment, the Dornan Amendment, and codify the Hyde-Weldon conscience clause. Lugar has a consistent pro-life record throughout his career. In the last Congress he had a 100 percent rating from both the National Right to Life and the Christian Coalition organizations.

Lugar is part of a friend of the Court (amicus) brief to the U.S. Supreme Court opposing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare). The Court will hear oral arguments beginning next Month on the constitutionality of ObamaCare. Lugar will also be included in a second amicus brief scheduled to be submitted later this month that argues the mandate as written exceeds the power the Constitution grants to Congress to regulate commerce among the states.

"I have opposed ObamaCare at every turn since the beginning and continue to support its repeal," Lugar said. "We argue in our brief to the court that the law over steps constitutional protections against "the accumulation of excessive power' by the government."

In September, Indiana was one of 26 states that asked the U.S. Supreme Court to consider their legal challenge to ObamaCare, which the Court agreed it would do.

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced then that the "cert petition" formally asking the Court to decide if "it is constitutional for Congress to mandate private individuals to buy health insurance or face a financial penalty -- and if not, whether the entire health care law must be invalidated."

Lugar, who was one of the earliest opponents of the bill and voted consistently against it, asked Zoeller on January 5, 2010 to analyze the bill on constitutional grounds, ultimately leading to Indiana joining the case against the bill.

Lugar supported the two constitutional point of order votes against the bill during Senate consideration. Both were defeated by votes of 60-39. He also joined an earlier amicus brief in the appeals court process.

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