Arizona is one of several states working to provide conscience protections in light of President Barack Obama's mandate forcing insurance companies to provide free contraception, regardless of the religious views of the person or institution they sell insurance to.
Deborah Sheasby is legal counsel for the Center for Arizona Policy.
"We had a mandate that put an obligation on religious employers to provide certain insurance coverage regardless of whether they had a religious objection to doing so," says Sheasby. "And this has been in the national press recently with what the Obama administration has been doing with its rules under the new ObamaCare program in requiring employers to provide certain coverage that violates their religious beliefs."
The Center for Arizona Policy worked with the Alliance Defense Fund in preparing legislation to remove that provision from current state law.
"We clarified that religious employers are protected from having to provide coverage and being compelled by the government to provide insurance coverage for services that they disagree with -- things like abortion, sterilization, contraception," comments the spokeswoman. "And regardless of how you feel about those particular services, there's no reason why a religious employer should be forced to pay for them or provide coverage for them."
Sheasby is hopeful there will be more progress in terms of getting rid of the requirement on a federal level.
Idaho and Missouri lawmakers are also considering proposals to make sure there are conscience protections
"We had a mandate that put an obligation on religious employers to provide certain insurance coverage regardless of whether they had a religious objection to doing so," says Sheasby. "And this has been in the national press recently with what the Obama administration has been doing with its rules under the new ObamaCare program in requiring employers to provide certain coverage that violates their religious beliefs."
The Center for Arizona Policy worked with the Alliance Defense Fund in preparing legislation to remove that provision from current state law.
"We clarified that religious employers are protected from having to provide coverage and being compelled by the government to provide insurance coverage for services that they disagree with -- things like abortion, sterilization, contraception," comments the spokeswoman. "And regardless of how you feel about those particular services, there's no reason why a religious employer should be forced to pay for them or provide coverage for them."Sheasby is hopeful there will be more progress in terms of getting rid of the requirement on a federal level.
Idaho and Missouri lawmakers are also considering proposals to make sure there are conscience protections
No comments:
Post a Comment