U.S. dioceses challenge healthcare mandate

40 dioceses have filed lawsuits against Obama administration

N.Y. Archbishop Timothy Dolan leads the charge against changes in healthcare insurance.
Photo credit: Business Insider.

L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, has an article detailing how many Catholic institutions in the United States are taking the American government's healthcare mandate to court. 12 lawsuits are pending in eight states outside the District of Columbia. The controversial healthcare directives would force employers, regardless of religious orientation, to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives, and more.

The insurance would cover the prescription and administering of abortifacients, contraceptives, and sterilization, jeopardizing religious freedom.

The Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Timothy Michael Dolan, voiced his support, "We have tried negotiation with the [Obama] administration and legislation with the Congress -- and we'll keep at it, but there's still no fix. Time is running out, and our fundamental rights hang in the balance, so we have to resort to the courts." 

This legal action has been launched to shed light on what kind of health insurance should be provided. The new mandate is unconstitutional, as it forces Catholic institutions (and others affiliated with different religions) to violate their moral principles.

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