Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence assured voters Wednesday that he and Donald Trump will work hard to reverse the Obama Administration’s erosion of religious liberties in the United States.
Pence and his wife, Karen, spoke about religious freedom, the right to life and other topics Wednesday on Dr. James Dobson’s “Family Talk” radio program.
The Christian Post reports the pro-life candidate vowed to protect individuals such as the Christian business owners of Hobby Lobby and Catholic nuns with the Little Sisters of the Poor from the Obamacare HHS mandate. Through the mandate, the Obama Administration is attempting to force religious groups to violate their beliefs and pay for contraception, including drugs that may cause abortions, in their employee health insurance plans.
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According to the report:
“The Trump-Pence administration will be dedicated to preserving the liberties of our people, including the freedom of religion that’s enshrined in our Bill of Rights.” Trump’s vice presidential nominee said when asked if their administration would issue a regulation to eliminate Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate, or at least provide a religious exemption for all ministries and businesses.
The contraceptive mandate in President Barack Obama’s health care law requires health insurers, or employers that provide their employees with health insurance, to cover some contraceptive costs in their health insurance plans.
We have a long tradition of accommodating religious beliefs in this country, the governor adds. “Our administration is going to err on the side of freedom, we’re going to err on the side of protecting our liberties of our people.”
While the U.S. Supreme Court granted Hobby Lobby a reprieve from the onerous mandate, the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious organizations are still waiting for the final outcome of their lawsuits challenging the regulation. The Catholic nuns won a temporary victory at the Supreme Court in May; however, the matter has not been completely resolved. In a unanimous ruling, the high court essentially told lower courts to find a way to accommodate the Little Sisters so their conscience rights would not be violated. The Supreme Court sent the case back to lower courts to examine an alternative accommodation to the mandate.
Pence, a Republican with a strong pro-life record, also signaled his personal commitment to family values, telling Dobson “the highest position” he will ever hold is being a dad.
Trump also promised to protect religious liberties as president. During the Value Voters Summit in September, Trump said he would overturn the Johnson Amendment, which essentially prevents pastors from speaking on politics.
America is “in serious, serious trouble,” Trump said. “Our media culture often mocks and demeans people of faith,” whose “values of love, charity and faith built this nation.”
In contrast, pro-abortion Democrat Hillary Clinton wants to force taxpayers to pay for abortions by overturning the Hyde Amendment. In a speech last year, Clinton also lamented that too many women are supposedly denied abortions and argued that religious values should be changed.
