Why have we allowed a money-driven special interest group to convince the government that we should sacrifice both freedom of religion and freedom of conscience? The HSS mandate does this. “Reproductive services” are big business. Money changes hands when artificial birth control pills or devices are dispensed and when these methods fail. Women, faced with unintended pregnancies, are pressured into aborting their children. When lifestyles promoted by paid organizations result in sexually transmitted diseases, money again changes hands for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Unfortunately, some diseases are incurable and some of the treatable ones are becoming drug resistant.
Currently we have enough understanding of physiology for women to learn when they are fertile. They can use this information to make truly free decisions about their fertility. This education is not promoted because it does not generate money. Even if one believes that artificial birth control benefits women, how can we willingly give up our freedom? The government is not infallible. Consider slavery and the fugitive slave act. We need to retain both freedom of religion and freedom of conscience.
Karen D’Agostino
Baltimore