American Catholics are mobilizing for the biggest campaign of mass civil disobedience since the end of segregation. U.S. Catholic bishops are calling on Catholics to defy the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate. This comes in addition to numerous lawsuits launched by 46 plaintiffs from dioceses, universities and hospitals against the administration’s order that compels religious organizations to subsidize birth control, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs. The mandate is an unprecedented assault upon the Catholic Church’s conscience rights and religious freedom, blatantly usurping the First Amendment.
The state is forcing churches, as well as synagogues and mosques, to consent to President Obama’s radical secular agenda. Otherwise, their institutions - hospitals, schools, universities and charities - will face stiff penalties and eventually close down. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is launching a campaign called the Fortnight for Freedom, from June 21 until July 4. Its goal: alert Catholics - and all freedom-loving Americans - to the impending threat posed by Mr. Obama’s power grab. The contraceptive mandate is scheduled to take effect on Aug 1.
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