The Interfaith Rally for Religious Freedom Held in Downtown New Baltimore

On Sunday, October 14, at 1 p.m.-2 p.m. the controversy over the Health and Human Services Mandate (HHS Mandate) poured into the Walter and Mary Burke Park in downtown New Baltimore. The city's Interfaith Rally for Religious Freedom was a peaceful call to action for people from all faiths to come together and stand in peaceful protest over government laws that deny their beliefs.

Many people believe the HHS Mandate violates this right. Here are the words from standupforreligiousfreedom.com.

“The new Mandate would require nearly all private health insurance plans to include coverage for all FDA-approved prescription contraceptive drugs and devices, surgical sterilizations and abortion-inducing drugs—drugs that interfere with implantation in the womb and therefore destroy the life of a human being in the earliest stage of development.”

This mandate is the direct result of the Affordable Care Act. You probably know it as “Obamacare.”

Arriving a couple minutes late (had to fetch my camera, of course), I witnessed first-hand how peaceful the atmosphere was, with many people standing arm in arm, American flags held proudly up in the air. Bishop Michael Byrnes was the keynote speaker, and urged the captivated crowd to stand up for their religious freedoms, which seem to be disappearing one by one.

It goes without saying that any topic involving sterilization and contraceptive services soon leads to hot debate. My intent is not to pick a side, but to simply raise awareness, seeing as no matter what side of the fence you happen to be on, this will affect you and the people you know relatively soon. Check out standupforreligiousfreedom.com/mandate/ to see the basic facts of the HHS Mandate, because there is much more that goes into it than what I briefly described here. From that link, you can even download a pdf Fact Sheet. Then, decide for yourself.