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Dear Friends,

We need your help now! Contraceptives, including some abortifacients, may be part of health care coverage for every American forcing us to pay for services we find morally objectionable.

In 2010, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asked the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to consider what services should qualify as a "preventive service" under Sen. Barbara Mikulski's (D- Maryland) amendment to ObamaCare.

On July 20, 2011, the IOM released its report on a list of "preventative services for women" which included mandatory coverage for surgical sterilization and all "approved contraceptives" such as ella and Plan B. On August 3, HHS issued an interim rule that references the IOM guidelines but would allow the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to implement a "religious exemption."

The so-called religious exemption is wholly inadequate. For example, insurance plans offered by many religious organizations, including Christian colleges and universities, hospitals, and charitable institutions, that serve the general public, would be ineligible for the proposed "religious exemption."

Take Action Now: Please file your comments with HHS by the September 30 deadline. Ask HHS to remove sterilization and prescription contraceptives from the list of "preventive services" the federal government is mandating in private health plans. Also, please tell HHS that the proposed "religious exemption" is worthless because it excludes most Americans and forces us to pay for services we find reprehensible. Please click here to submit your comments.

Sample Comment:

Dear Secretary Sebelius,

Pregnancy is not a disease which needs to be prevented. The government should not require all Americans to purchase insurance that covers sterilization and contraceptives. Please remove these from the list of "preventive services" the federal government is mandating in private health plans.

In addition, it is necessary that any regulation fully respect religious liberty. The narrow religious exemption in HHS's proposed rule is practically worthless since it will protect almost no one. I urge you to allow all organizations and individuals to offer, sponsor and obtain health coverage that does not violate their moral and religious convictions.

Sincerely,

The CWA Legislative Staff