Catholics and many other Americans have strongly criti-cized the recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Mandate requiring almost all private health plans to cover contracep-tion, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs. For the first time in our history, the federal government will force religious institutions to fund and facilitate coverage of a drug or procedure contrary to their moral teaching, and purport to define which religious institutions are "religious enough" to merit an exemption.

Plainly speaking, this is a matter of whether religious people and institutions may be forced by the federal government to provide such coverage even when it violates their consciences. The Archdiocese and other Catholic (arch) dioceses in the U.S. are participating in a "Fortnight for Freedom" June 21-July 4, to pray and take action in support of religious freedom in our nation. For more information on what you can do to preserve our long-cherished religious freedoms, please visit the Archdiocese’s website @ archdioceseofharford.org