AFAIC if you do not have the equipment to bear children you should have no say in how preventing pregnancy is achieved.

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Americans of all faiths have a right to practice their religion free from the fear of persecution or harassment from their government. Our nation's founders believed this and enshrined religious freedom into the First Amendment to the Constitution.

While some Americans may not feel that government mandates forcing them to pay for contraception are an infringement on their religious beliefs, others consider it to be an assault against their freedom of conscience. A government policy that encroaches on the conscientious objections of religious groups concerns all Americans who value the protections of the First Amendment. Today, the committee will hear testimony from leaders of different faiths. They are concerned that government, under this Administration, is encroaching on their First Amendment rights.

The Administration's actions have forced us to confront a more fundamental question about the proper role of government in our lives.

This hearing is about basic question of religious freedom, and whether or not protection will be afforded to religious institutions who wish to follow their conscience in refusing to pay for products they find morally objectionable. I look forward to hearing from today's witnesses.

Witnesses

Panel I

The Most Reverend William E. Lori

Roman Catholic Bishop of Bridgeport, CT

Chairman Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

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The Reverend Dr. Matthew C. Harrison

President

The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod

C. Ben Mitchell, Ph.D.

Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy

Union University

Rabbi Meir Soloveichik

Director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought

Yeshiva University

Associate Rabbi

Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun

Craig Mitchell, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Ethics

Chair of the Ethics Department

Associate Director of the Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Panel II

John H. Garvey

President

The Catholic University of America

Dr. William K. Thierfelder

President

Belmont Abbey College

Dr. Samuel W. "Dub" Oliver

President

East Texas Baptist University

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Dr. Allison Dabbs Garrett

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

Oklahoma Christian University

Laura Champion, M.D.

Medical Director

Calvin College Health Services

Barry W. Lynn, Esq.

Executive Director

Americans United for Separation of Church and State