Fortenberry Responds to President's 'Accommodation' of Religious Institutions

Statement

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry today issued the following statement in reaction to the President's decision to "accommodate" American religious institutions with concerns about implementing the new controversial Health and Human Services mandate:

"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. Moreover, 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. 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.

"Congress should protect the religious liberty and conscience rights of every American who objects to being forced by the strongarm of government to pay for services to which she or he has deeply-held objections. We must do so for the benefit of the millions of Americans who are calling for swift bipartisan action."

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