Some US bishops ready to defy HHS mandate, risk jail
January 30, 2013
In interviews with LifeSite News, three American Catholic bishops said that they were prepared to go to jail rather than accept implementation of the contraceptive mandate in the Obama administration’s health-care reform policy.
Bishop Alexander Sample of Marquette, Michigan (recently named to become Archbishop of Portland, Oregon); Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh; and Archbishop Samuel Aquila of Denver said that they would risk prison rather than accept the terms of the Obama mandate.
When he was asked the same question, Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, DC, declined to give a direct response. Saying that he still hoped for an agreement with the Obama administration that would defuse the conflict, the cardinal said: “We take this one day at a time, and I'm hopeful that we're going to be able to resolve this.”
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Posted by: gary.brisebois1104 -
Jan. 30, 2013 7:40 PM ET USA
Jail time? There wouldnt be any; there are fines imposed for non-compliance. The government would simply raid the accounts and assets of the offenders until the Church cannot afford to operate.
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Posted by: -
Jan. 30, 2013 7:05 PM ET USA
Is anyone surprised that Card Wuerl dodged the question?
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Posted by: -
Jan. 30, 2013 6:36 PM ET USA
God bless them all! The Church needs exactly this kind of determination to thwart the outrageous and unprecedented infringement on religious liberty by this administration. The bishops must keep in mind that they defend not just the Church and its institutions, but the constitutional rights of ALL Americans, even those misguided many who support the HHS mandate.
