WASHINGTON, D.C., JUNE 7, 2012 (Zenit.org).- Plans for a nationwide rally are under way in the United States to protest the current administration’s mandate to require employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception, abortifacients and sterilization.
The Coalition to Stop the HHS Mandate, comprised of almost 100 Catholic and Protestant based pro-life centers around the nation, is helping to coordinate the rally that will take place in 131 cities across the nation.
In an interview with the Dignitatis Humanae Institute, Eric Schiedler, co-director of the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally Coalition, said: «With the HHS mandate the Obama administration is driving faith institutions from the public square, by forcing them to violate their foundational principles. That is why we have to take to the American public square on June 8 for the Stand Up for Religious Freedom national rally with a public demonstration of both our faith and our patriotism.»
Cardinal Raymond Burke, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the judicial arm of the Catholic Church, also expressed his support for the rallies in the same interview. «Both as Christians and as Americans, we must stand steadfast in our defense of this fundamental element of human dignity – the freedom of conscience; the innate right to the free exercise of conscience has been at very core of the life of our nation,» he said.
According to their Web site, the “Coalition to Stop the HHS Mandate” chose June 8 as the rally date to coincide with the 223rd anniversary of the day James Madison introduced the Bill of Rights.
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On the NET:
More information: www.standupforreligiousfreedom.com/
