Scroll Down For Current News and Action
STOP THE WAR AGAINST REPRODUCTIVE CHOICE
Defend True Religious Liberty
Under Assault by Catholic Bishops
Do you think Catholic Bishops should have veto power over women’s contraceptive health insurance coverage? They think so! U.S. Roman Catholic Bishops are waging war against Health and Human Service’s mandate, starting in August to ensure U.S. women workers have contraceptive coverage. In a colossal power play, the Bishops seek to impose their narrow religious doctrine on many of America’s employees, whether or not they subscribe to the Catholic faith.
The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops has pledged a multimillion-dollar attack against the contraceptive mandate leading up to July 4, 2012. Over 40 Roman Catholic dioceses and institutions are suing to stop Health and Human Servicesā contraceptive mandate. Every Sunday from the pulpit Catholics who shun their own churchās teachings against contraception are being told to help the Bishops use the force of secular law to deny birth control to non-Catholics.
The louder the Church cries āassault against religious freedom,ā the harder it works to take away reproductive freedom. While the Bishops preposterously portray themselves as victims of an āattack on religious liberty,ā in fact it is they who are the threat to religious liberty. They seek to impose their irrational belief that contraception is āsinfulā on everyone else.
True religious liberty requires a separation between dogma and government policy.
The HHS contraceptive mandate does not apply to any church or denominations, including Roman Catholicism. The HHS mandate even exempts non-church religious (or quasi-religious) employers, such as religious hospitals or schools, from providing contraceptive health care for female workers. Instead, HHS is requiring private insurance companies to pick up the costs for providing such contraceptive health care. This policy protects the rights of women employees, and the so-called freedom of conscience of religious institutions. A Methodist woman employed at a Catholic school will be able to use her insurance policy to renew her prescription for birth control pills, for instance, at no cost to the school. This is why the Catholic Bishops are fuming?!
The Bishops have introduced into Congress the so-called āRespect for Rights of Conscience Act,ā which goes even further. They are lobbying Congress to pass a bill that would allow any private employer with a āreligious or moral objectionā to have veto power over health care coverage. For example, a Jehovahās Witnesses employer could bar coverage of an emergency blood transfusion for employees. A Southern Baptist or Mormon employer could deny prescription birth control to unmarried female employees.
Don’t let church dogma trump civil rights! Join the Freedom From Religion Foundation in standing up for freedom of conscience, womenās right to contraceptive health insurance and true religious liberty.
Look for FFRFās ācounter the bishopsā TV blitz airing now!
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is storming the āBishopsā Bastilleā in an unprecedented TV ad campaign to counter the Roman Catholic Churchās inquisition against contraceptive insurance coverage. The 30-second spots feature one of Americaās favorite former Catholics ā actress Julia Sweeney, beloved by freethinkers for her play, āLetting Go of God,ā and by the American public for her portrayal of āAndrogynous Patā on Saturday Night Live! Read more.
FFRF rebuts Catholic Bishopsā āreligious freedomā propaganda
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is fighting back against an offensive by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and its upcoming āfortnight for freedom.ā Like a secular David defending himself against Goliath, FFRF has launched an opening volley against the monolithic church and its war against the contraceptive mandate. Read more.
FFRFās āQuit the Churchā billboard hits Times Square
Although Times Square is home to many provocative images, the Freedom From Religion Foundation is upping the ante with its patriotic red-white-and-blue billboard placed this week on Times Square saying: āQuit the Church. Put Womenās Rights Over Bishops Wrongs.ā Read more.
FFRF debuts āQuit the Churchā billboard in St. Louis
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has placed a bold 14×48-foot billboard in patriotic colors at I-70 and North Broadway in St. Louis, Mo., aimed at Roman Catholics, which urges them to āPut womenās rights over Bishopsā wrongsā and āQuit the Church.ā Nearly 300,000 people will drive by the board every week during its four-week run. Read more.
Watch Sneak Preview of FFRF TV commercial starring Julia Sweeney
Julia Sweeney, one of Americaās most famous former Catholics as actress and playwright of āLetting Go of God,ā stars in a new TV and radio ad just produced by the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
The commercial counters the anti-contraceptive campaign by Roman Catholic Bishops. The wealthy U.S. Catholic Church has pledged to spend multimillions in a PR blitz leading up to July 4th to overturn the Obama Administrationās contraceptive health insurance mandate. Read more.
āContraception killsā
Did you know ācontraception killsā?
Thatās what an intrepid coterie of FFRFāers was told by true believers when we counterpicketed a June 8 rally conducted by the Roman Catholic Church at the federal courthouse here in Madison, Wis.
I held a sign, āQuit the Church,ā accompanied by about 20 other FFRF members, staffers, interns and volunteers. It was chilling to hear a young male speaker intone, āGod is on our side.ā At one surreal point during the rally, which featured at least six prayers, a priest instructed all of the present faithful to turn away from the podium and face us counter-protesters. As they prayed aggressively at us we had fun chanting my motherās mantra: āNothing Fails Like Prayer.ā Read more.
FFRFās āQuit the Catholic Churchā ad in weekend USA Today
The Freedom From Religion Foundationās signature full-page ad, āItās Time to Quit the Catholic Church,ā is in todayās USA Today (Money Section), which stays on the newsstands all weekend. The ad by FFRF, a state/church watchdog and the nationās largest atheist/agnostic association with over 18,000 members, urges liberal and nominal Roman Catholics to āquitā their church over its war against contraception. Read more.
FFRFās āQuit the Catholic Churchā ad in todayās Washington Post
The Freedom From Religion Foundationās full-page ad, āItās Time to Quit the Catholic Church,ā runs in todayās Washington Post (A-5 Main), urging liberal and nominal Roman Catholics to āquitā their church over its war against contraception. Read more.
FFRFās āQuit the Catholic Churchā ad in todayās Washington Post
The Freedom From Religion Foundationās full-page ad, āItās Time to Quit the Catholic Church,ā runs in todayās Washington Post (A-5 Main), urging liberal and nominal Roman Catholics to āquitā their church over its war against contraception. Read more.
FFRF ad, āQuit the Catholic Church,ā runs in todayās Times
The Freedom From Religion Foundation placed an open letter via a full-page ad in todayās New York Times (page 10, front section) urging liberal and nominal Roman Catholics to āquitā their church over its war against contraception. Read more.
Open Letter to āLiberalā and āNominalā Roman Catholics: āItās time to quit the Catholic Churchā
Dear ‘Liberal’ Catholic: Itās time to quit the Roman Catholic Church. It’s your moment of truth. Will it be reproductive freedom, or back to the Dark Ages? Do you choose women and their rights, or Bishops and their wrongs? Whose side are you on, anyway?
It is time to make known your dissent from the Catholic Church, in light of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishopsā ruthless campaign endangering the right to contraception. If you’re part of the Catholic Church, you’re part of the problem. Read more.
Vatican rules over health care?
Who will President Obama side with? Women or Catholic bishops? The bishops are trying to boss Obama around, and it’s time he showed them that the United States already has a secular “boss” ā a Constitution that precludes theocratic interference with our government and its citizens. Read more.