The Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central
America, which is comprised of the 65 canonical Orthodox bishops in the
United States, Canada and Mexico, join their voices with the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops and all those who adamantly
protest the recent decision by the United States Department of Health and Human Services,
and call upon all the Orthodox Christian faithful to contact their
elected representatives today to voice their concern in the face of this
threat to the sanctity of the Church’s conscience.
In this ruling by HHS, religious hospitals, educational institutions,
and other organizations will be required to pay for the full cost of
contraceptives (including some abortion-inducing drugs) and
sterilizations for their employees, regardless of the religious
convictions of the employers.
The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the free
exercise of religion. This freedom is transgressed when a religious
institution is required to pay for “contraceptive services” including
abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization services that directly violate
their religious convictions. Providing such services should not be
regarded as mandated medical care. We, the Assembly of Canonical
Orthodox Bishops, call upon HHS Secretary Sebelius and the Obama
Administration to rescind this unjust ruling and to respect the
religious freedom guaranteed all Americans by the First Amendment.
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