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Governor Jay Nixon has until July 14 to decide whether to sign SB 749--the religious liberty bill. If signed into state law by the governor, SB 749 will ensure that no one has to pay for abortion or abortion drugs in their health plans.
Read this Action Alert for further background and suggestions on how you and your parish can encourage Governor Nixon to sign 749. The governor's contact information is in the upper left corner of this alert.
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Will the Governor Protect Our Religious Liberties?
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Since January when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued its abortion-drug mandate, a number of states have passed resolutions protesting the new federal rule. But the Missouri General Assembly was not content with symbolic protests. In the final hours of the 2012 legislative session, legislators passed SB 749, which authorizes the state attorney general to bring suit challenging the constitutionality of the HHS mandate. The bill also creates new rights for insurance consumers, such as the right to refuse to pay for abortions or abortion drugs in their health plans. (See "What's in 749?" below.)
SB 749 now rests on Governor Jay Nixon's desk. He has until July 14 to decide whether to sign the bill into state law. He will be under tremendous pressure. Planned Parenthood is calling for Governor Nixon to veto the bill. They see SB 749 as part of a vast "war on women," and much of the media is making the same phony argument. Very soon, one can foresee the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the Kansas City Star publishing editorials urging the governor to veto SB 749.
This is the public pressure on the governor. But one can easily imagine other pressures at work, perhaps even a call from President Obama urging a veto of SB 749. Why would the president pay attention to our state? Well, Missouri has emerged as a leading force in defying the HHS mandate. It sets up an awkward situation if a state law directly conflicts with federal law, especially if it turns out, after judicial review, that the state law is constitutional while the federal law is not.
When Governor Nixon took the oath of office he swore to uphold the state and federal constitution. The HHS mandate clearly runs afoul of the First Amendment's protection of religious freedom. President Obama may not understand this, but Governor Nixon should. Politically, the governor is in a tight spot. But this issue transcends politics. It's about our basic right to practice our religious and moral convictions. No one should be forced to pay for abortions or abortion drugs in their health plans.
Governor Nixon, please put aside political calculations and do the right thing. Protect our religious liberties! Respect our rights of conscience! Sign 749!
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What's in 749?
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SB 749 establishes various rights of conscience for health insurance consumers.
* No employee or self-employed person can be compelled to obtain health coverage for abortion, contraceptives or sterilizations when these items violate their moral or religious beliefs.
* No employer or health plan sponsor can be compelled to provide coverage for abortion, contraceptives or sterilizations when this violates their moral or religious beliefs.
* No government agency may discriminate against or penalize a health plan sponsor, employer or employee that refuses to provide coverage for, participate in, or refer for, abortion, contraceptives or sterilizations because of their religious beliefs or moral convictions.
* Authorizes the state attorney general to file suit in state or federal court to defend the religious liberties outlined in SB 749.
* Requires health insurers to give clear and conspicuous notice to consumers whether or not contraceptives and elective abortions are proposed to be in their health plan.
* Requires health insurers to exclude contraceptive and elective abortion coverage when purchasers object on moral or religious grounds.
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| WHAT YOU CAN DO |
- Contact Governor Nixon immediately (see contact information in upper left corner);
- Forward this email to family and friends and urge them to contact Governor Nixon (use "Forward this email" button on left);
- Pray for Governor Nixon; may God grant him the courage to stand up for our religious liberties.
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| WHAT PARISHES CAN DO |
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1. Insert the following in your Sunday Bulletin:
Let's keep abortion out of our health plans. Contact Governor Nixon today. Urge him to keep abortion out of our health plans and protect our religious liberties. He can do this by signing SB 749. Tell the governor abortion is not health care and that people should have the right to refuse to pay for abortion or abortion drugs in their health plans. Call Governor Nixon at (573) 751-3222 or visit http://governor.mo.gov/contact/.
2. Make the following pulpit announcement at Sunday masses:
Recently the General Assembly passed SB 749. This bill protects our religious liberties and rights of conscience. SB 749 ensures that people don't have to pay for abortion or abortion drugs in their health insurance plans. Right now SB 749 awaits action by Governor Jay Nixon. Contact him and urge him to sign SB 749. You can call Governor Nixon at (573) 751-3222 or refer to the bulletin to contact him on his website.
3. Forward this Action Alert to heads of various parish organizations and ask them to distribute to their members.
4. Make some hard copies of the Action Alert available at the back of church.
Special Note: Governor Nixon has until July 14 to sign SB 749. As in advertising, repeated messages are effective. Don't hesitate to run the bulletin insert and make the pulpit announcement on successive Sundays.
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