Essay on "Religious Freedom Restoration Act"

Essay 4 pages (1226 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Therefore, the 2012 Religious Freedom Restoration Act is important because it addresses the need for proper balance of religious beliefs and practices based on the principle of religious freedom.

Proponents and Opponents of the Bill:

Since its introduction, the bill has received massive support from leading Republicans, catholic bishops, and some social conservatives. These people have persisted in portraying the new health care law by President Obama's administration that forces faith-based employers to provide health coverage for birth control for free as an infringement of religious freedom. They argue that the Obama administration has departed from the fundamental principle in the Constitution by imposing religious views that are not necessarily shared by many Americans (Samuels, 2012). While nearly all women in America including Catholic women use contraceptives at some point in their lives, the proponents of the bill state that they are above the law and their beliefs should surpass the pressing interests within the society.

On the contrary, there are various opponents to the bill, whose claims are supported by the fact that the legal case against the provision in the new health care law is considerably weak. This is largely because the contraception benefit is normally and basically constitutional as well as an appropriate exercise of governmental powers based on the Supreme Court precedent and federal legislations addressing the exercise of religion. Consequently, judges should have minimal difficulties in refuting the claim that the Obama administration violated the religious freedom of faith-based employers by compelling them to provide free contraceptive coverage to their workers. The claims of the opponents of the bill are based on the fact that the contraception rule is not a battle on birth control but religious freedom. Furthermore, the move to accommodate the objections of religious employers in provision of free contraceptive coverage has made the new health care law less vulnerable to any reasonable constitutional attack.

Impact of the Bill:

The bill has a major impact on the provision of health care services to the community since it will enable religious-based hospitals and health care providers to obtain liberty in health care coverage on religious grounds. If the bill is enacted into law, these health care institutions will no longer be bound under the conscience clause promoted by the new health care law. Consequently, these health care institutions will not be required to pay hefty fines and penalties that could result in forced closing down (Liberty Counsel, 2012). As the religious-based hospitals and health care providers are exempted from stiff fines and stricter contraceptives coverage plans and policies through the bill, they will be able to provide health care services more effectively.

Since the Obama's new health care law is regarded as an assault to religious freedom, the major impact of the bill is that it will enable the religious-based health care professionals to provide their services with liberty. This is largely because most of these professionals have elevated for freedom of conscience higher than free contraception and sterilization services.

Conclusion:

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012 is a significant health care bill introduced by Senator Rubio that addresses the issue of free contraceptives. This bill has a huge impact on religious-based health care professionals, especially on the issue of religious liberty.

References:

Liberty Counsel. (2012, February 13). Liberty Counsel Backs Rubio's Religious Freedom

Restoration Act of 2012. Retrieved March 7, 2012, from http://www.boogai.net/consrpt/liberty-counsel-backs-rubios-religious-freedom-restoration-act-of-2012/

"Religious Freedom Restoration Act." (2012, January). The Hill.com. Retrieved March 7, 2012,

from http://thehill.com/images/stories/blogs/flooraction/jan2012/s2043.pdf.

Samuels, D. (2012, February 25). Back to First Principles on Religious Freedom. Retrieved March 7, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/opinion/sunday/back-to-first-principles-on-religious-freedom.html READ MORE

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