End the HHS Mandate: Educate. Lobby. Vote. Pray.
Posted by Eric Scheidler (March 30, 2012 at 5:41 pm)
Now that last week’s enormously successful Rally for Religious Freedom is behind us—with over 63,000 Americans taking part in 145 cities from Maine to Hawaii, and literally hundreds of news stories reporting that our fight against the HHS Mandate is about religious freedom—it’s time to look to the future.
We still have a long road ahead to stop the HHS Mandate, but the March 23 Rally creates a strong grassroots foundation to build upon.
My Stand Up Rally co-director Monica Miller and I are carefully planning our next major action in this fight, but in the meantime I want to offer four steps you can take right now to continue your efforts to reverse the HHS Mandate.
1. Educate.
As the news reports about last Friday’s Rally showed, many Americans, including many in the press, are confused about what’s really at stake in this controversy. They’ve bought the White House spin that this is some kind of “war on contraception.”
There’s a lot of disinformation out there, but the more people learn about the HHS Mandate, the less they support it.
Every one of us has to help spread the word, and here’s what you can do:
- Download the HHS Mandate Fact Sheet [PDF] and share it with your friends and family.
- Visit and like Stand Up for Religious Freedom on Facebook and invite your friends to do the same.
- Visit this website frequently for the latest news and action alerts on the grassroots fight to reverse the HHS Mandate.
2. Lobby.
Forget those images of the glad-handing lobbyist exerting undue influence on government figures. You can be a lobbyist—the most effective kind of lobbyist of all.
Lobbying really only means making your wishes about legislation known to your elected representatives and other government officials. There are several ways you can do this, right now:
- Call the Capitol Hill switchboard at 202-224-3121 and tell your Congressman to support HR1179, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act.
- If you haven’t already done so, sign the Stop the HHS Mandate petition.
- Women: Sign onto Helen Alvare’s Women Speak for Themselves, an open Letter to President Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.
- Visit your Congressman in person. Congress is currently not in session. See if you can make an appointment to visit with your Representative and urge him or her to support HR1179, the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act.
3. Vote.
This is a pivotal election year. Encourage all your family and friends to register to vote, and then cast their ballots—in both the primaries and the November 6 general election—for candidates who will right to restore the First Amendment’s protection of the free exercise of religion.
4. Pray.
I conclude with the most important step of all.
We’re fighting for religious freedom—the freedom to exercise our FAITH in the public square.
So let us faithfully pray for all our political leaders, starting with President Obama, that they will restore religious liberty in this great nation.
YAY equal rights for religon so long as its not jewdeism islamic or anything other than christian!! how can you ask for freedom when you dont give any to gays, jews,woman or anything else??? if you think im judging unfairly, please tell me, i am an atheist, and always will be one, so don’t try to convert, me, also if i am being to mean, i hope i didnt offend anyone but i mean… COME ONNNNN
March 30th, 2012 at 9:32 pm
my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
First Amendment – Religion and Expression
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
April 2nd, 2012 at 10:06 am
JJB: please defien “my people” does this mean christians or atheist or what??/
April 2nd, 2012 at 4:55 pm
J — Thanks for visiting.
The rallies for religious freedom featured many Jewish speakers. Most of those organizing the rallies were women, and women were prominently featured on the 145 rally programs across the country.
At least one Pagan spoke out against the HHS Mandate at one of the Rallies (Scranton, PA), and an atheist group reached out to the coordinator in Tulsa.
So, yeah, we’re actually talking about religious freedom, broadly understood. That’s why this movement has attracted people of so many different faith traditions, or none at all.
Eric Scheidler
Rally Co-Director
April 3rd, 2012 at 9:45 am
J, take a deep breath and let it out. Catholic faith had its roots in the Jewish faith then given to us at its fullness by Jesus Christ. Catholic means universal. have you ever visited a catholic church, visit us don’t be afraid we don’t ask for membership, we are all sinners, and always have room for one more.
remember Jesus loves you always, always and his love is everlasting and unconditional.
April 4th, 2012 at 12:01 am
noemi: jesus loves you, unless your gay??? i mean it cleary says that being gay is what you call a sin and is also what you call an “abomination” why cant they have equal rights to??? why cant they marry? or love eachother without your judgment”
April 4th, 2012 at 5:45 pm
J, Jesus came for sinners to give us full life. Jesus loves the sinner not the sin. God gave us free will, he gave us 10 golden rules to called commandments. we all have to live by rules in our daily life. If you are driving and the speed limit says 55 and you do 65, hey, there will be consequences. God gave us 10 ways , models or commandments to live to the fullness. We don’t obey God’s commandments hey consequences like with the ticket, however we create our own torture our sin/rebellion against God’s goodness creates our torture not God. God is everlasting never changing love. He gave us his son Jesus loving the sinner to His death on the cross, but not the sin. God is all good evil is never good and the 2 can never ever mingle.
April 5th, 2012 at 1:04 am
yet gays still cant marry… i dont see the “love” you speak of and also, you didnt answer my question
April 10th, 2012 at 12:48 pm
J- Please visit couragerc.net. This outreach has helped many to find peace within their identity. Your questions are good, and as you learn that a relationship with the author of Nature’s Law
is attainable, sustainable and so worth the time.
Peace to you J. God’s Peace!
April 11th, 2012 at 4:45 pm
im not homosexual, im just not a homophobe, like all of you!
April 17th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
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