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Alliance Defense Fund, On Behalf of Benedictine College et al, Files Comment with HHS

On May 30, the Alliance Defense Fund filed a formal comment with the Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of 18 Catholic colleges including Benedictine College.  The comment urges the Obama administration to respect religious freedom and to rescind their direct violation of religious liberty.

The health insurance mandates would require coverage for contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs, regardless of whether such coverage would violate the religious or moral conscience of an individual or institution.

By including its name in the formal comment, Benedictine College not only reaffirmed its opposition to the HHS mandates, but its commitment to Church teaching.

“When the HHS mandate put institutions like Benedictine College on notice that we would have to violate our consciences or pay crippling fines, Archbishop Joseph Nauman (KC-KS) encouraged us to be faithful,” said Benedictine College President Stephen D. Minnis. “And he said it right: ‘We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law.’”

The Department of Health and Human Services is accepting public comments regarding the mandates until June 19. At that time, the Obama administration will move forward with the process of issuing further regulations on the implementation of the mandate.

Read the formal comment here.

 


Benedictine College

Founded in 1858, Benedictine College is a Catholic, Benedictine, residential, liberal arts college located on the bluffs above the Missouri River in Atchison, Kansas. The school is honored to have been named one of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News & World Report, the best private college in Kansas by The Wall Street Journal, and one of the top Catholic colleges in the nation by First Things magazine and the Newman Guide. It prides itself on outstanding academics, extraordinary faith life, strong athletic programs, and an exceptional sense of community and belonging. Benedictine College is dedicated to transforming culture in America through its mission to educate men and women within a community of faith and scholarship.