Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious  

Statement regarding HHS

March 7, 2012

In union with the Catholic Bishops of the United States, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious joins with other citizens, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, in calling upon our government to protect and defend the rights and freedoms upon which our nation was founded.  We believe that our first and most fundamental freedom, the right to religious liberty and freedom of conscience, is gravely violated by the ruling announced on January 20^th by the Department of Health and Human Services.  The accommodation announced by President Obama on February 10^th does not respect nor safeguard our rights or the rights of others.

We join our bishops, other religious leaders and concerned citizens in calling for the mandate to be rescinded and for the broadening of a religious exemption. In love for our country, we continue to pray for a renewed zeal for truth and for the preservation of our God-given rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that are integral to our identity as a nation.  In His mysterious Providence, may God be at work in this critical moment in our history to make all things new (cf. Revelation 21:5).