Philadelphia Catholics and pro-life supporters will gather at a Rally for Religious Freedom to voice their concerns regarding the HHS Mandate which Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. has called, "flawed and dangerous."

Friday, March 23, 2012
12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Independence Hall
500 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

On January 20th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reaffirmed a rule that virtually all private health care plans must cover sterilization, abortion-causing drugs, and contraception.

The exemption provided for "religious employers" is so narrow that it failed to cover the vast majority of faith-based organizations-including Catholic hospitals, universities, and charities-that help millions of people every year regardless of their faith. As Archbishop Chaput stated in his February 17th online column, "It's not a 'compromise' and it needs to be rescinded" **.

Important Facts about the HHS Mandate

# The mandate does not exempt Catholic charities, schools, universities, or hospitals.
# The mandate forces these institutions and others, against their conscience, to pay for things they consider immoral.
# The mandate forces coverage of sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs and devices as well as contraception.
# # #
Editor's Note: For more information please contact Mr. Steven Bozza, Director of the Respect Life Office, at (215) 587-5661.
** To read Archbishop Chaput's full column please visit
https://www.archdiocese-phl.org/archbishop-chaput/statements/weeklycolumn6.pdf.

Contact
Jhoselyn Martinez
Communications Specialist
215-587-3747