BY: REBEKAH RICHARDS
On Friday, President Obama released a statement saying that religious institutions that object to offering contraception and abortion inducing drugs would not have to, but that the insurance agencies will still be required to provide the drugs.
Catholics everywhere are still objecting to the health care mandate though because it means that Catholics will still be funding contraception through their paying for health insurance even though Catholic organizations won't be paying for it, individuals will.
"Today's proposal continues to involve needless government intrusion in the internal governance of religious institutions, and to threaten government coercion of religious people and groups to violate their most deeply held convictions," said the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in a statement Friday. "In a nation dedicated to religious liberty as its first and founding principle, we should not be limited to negotiating within these parameters.
The slight change in the mandate was simply that the institutions would not have to fund contraceptives but that all insurance agencies must still provide the drugs so that "a woman has a right to all forms of preventive health care, including contraception," said President Obama.
The Catholic Church has taken a stand though saying the pregnancy is not to be treated as a disease and thrown in other preventive health care measures.
Patrick Lee, director of the Institute for Bioethics at Franciscan University of Steubenville said this mandate is only the beginning of
"One of the ways in which we teach is by our actions," said Patrick Lee, director of the Institute for Bioethics at Franciscan University of Steubenville. "To require us (Catholics) to fund through insurance these things that are contrary to our faith and conscience is not compelling us to cooperate. It is preventing us from operating as a catholic institution."
This change in fact might be worse than the original mandate, said Michael Hernon, vice president for advancement at Franciscan University.
"It makes it seem like Catholics are no longer funding contraception and drugs that may cause abortion, but they are as long as they are paying for health insurance," said Hernon.
In its statement, the USCCB renewed the call for legislative action by all Catholics.
Lee agreed that Catholics must stay vigilant in staying up on the changes in the health care mandate and keep their voices heard.