{"id":1150,"date":"2012-09-23T23:56:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-23T23:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/thousands-join-grassroots-womens-movement-opposing-hhs-mandate\/"},"modified":"2012-09-23T23:56:00","modified_gmt":"2012-09-23T23:56:00","slug":"thousands-join-grassroots-womens-movement-opposing-hhs-mandate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/09\/thousands-join-grassroots-womens-movement-opposing-hhs-mandate\/","title":{"rendered":"Thousands join grassroots women’s movement opposing HHS mandate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Washington D.C., Sep 23, 2012 \/ 05:56 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Thousands of women across the country are leading grassroots efforts to make their voices heard in opposition to the federal contraception and sterilization mandate.<\/p>\n

\tThe Women Speak for Themselves movement is driven by \u201cthings that women are deciding to do on their own,\u201d said Meg McDonnell, who has been assisting the group from early in its existence.<\/p>\n

\tMcDonnell told CNA on Sept. 20 that the movement has received \u201chundreds of e-mails\u201d about women\u2019s efforts to defend religious freedom, including prayer campaigns, local rallies, blog posts, discussions with elected representatives, voter registration drives, billboards and letters to the editor.<\/p>\n

\tThe movement began in February, when George Mason law professor Helen Alvar\u00e9 and former Thomas More Law Center counsel Kim Daniels wrote a letter responding to the controversial federal mandate that requires employers to offer free contraception, sterilization and abortion-causing drugs in their health care plans, regardless of their religious and moral objections.<\/p>\n

\tThe open letter asked President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Kathleen Sebelius and members of Congress not to claim to speak for all women in promoting the mandate.<\/p>\n

\tIt criticized those who try to \u201cshout down anyone who disagrees\u201d with them by invoking \u201cwomen\u2019s health,\u201d while ignoring the negative physical and social effects of contraception for women.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cNo one speaks for all women on these issues,\u201d the letter said. \u201cThose who purport to do so are simply attempting to deflect attention from the serious religious liberty issues currently at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tWithin weeks, the letter was signed by thousands of women of various religious and political backgrounds who oppose the mandate. The letter is currently approaching 34,000 signatures.<\/p>\n

\tWhat started as a simple letter has become a movement, with the women on the list working to \u201ckeep it active,\u201d McDonnell explained. \u201cIt\u2019s really them that keep it going.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tAs more women signed the letter, she said, they consistently wrote to Alvar\u00e9 about the issues they were facing and the efforts they were leading in their local communities.<\/p>\n

\tRelief at having an opportunity to speak out and the ability to stand up for their beliefs was a \u201ccommon theme,\u201d she explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tMcDonnell attributes the growth of the movement over the last seven months largely to the \u201cwoman to woman contact\u201d and the \u201ccontinual discussion\u201d that is being generated, allowing the conversation to reach a wider audience.<\/p>\n

\tDecades after legalized abortion swept through America, she said, \u201ca lot of women have experienced the negative effects\u201d of the sexual revolution. Seeing that these ideas did not lead to happiness, they now want to \u201cset a better path for younger women.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe women in the movement hold differing views on contraception, she noted.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cBut they stand with us on the religious freedom issue,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s the key point.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tThe group\u2019s website, www.womenspeakforthemselves.com<\/a>, includes talking points for discussions on the mandate and religious freedom, exploring the \u201cwar on women\u201d rhetoric, and whether free contraception is really the best means of promoting women\u2019s equality.<\/p>\n

\tThese talking points help to \u201cclarify the dialogue,\u201d McDonnell explained.<\/p>\n

\tContrary to some reports, she said, opponents of the mandate are \u201cnot trying to say that contraception should be outlawed.\u201d Rather, they are advocating a return to policies that allow women to purchase birth control if they choose to do so, while permitting religious groups to follow their moral convictions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\tThe movement has also released an online video highlighting the efforts of women to protect religious liberty and promote \u201ca more thoughtful, more complete vision of women\u2019s freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tIn addition, a new book called \u201cBreaking Through: Catholic Women Speak For Themselves\u201d (Our Sunday Visit, $16.95) has been published. The book, which is edited by Alvar\u00e9, features women speaking \u201cin their own voices\u201d about the issues they face in their careers, as moms and in their faith lives. It also features the stories of how they came to embrace Church teaching in their own lives.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tMcDonnell believes that women will continue to make use of outlets that allow them to speak their opinion in the public square.<\/p>\n

\tReligious freedom is an important ongoing issue that is \u201cnot solely related just to this mandate,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWomen are smart,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019re moms, they\u2019re wives, they\u2019re working in the professional world. They realize that there are greater things ahead for women.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington D.C., Sep 23, 2012 \/ 05:56 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Thousands of women across the country are leading grassroots efforts to make their voices heard in opposition to the federal contraception and sterilization mandate.<\/p>\n

\tThe Women Speak for Thems…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nThousands join grassroots women's movement opposing HHS mandate<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Washington D.C., Sep 23, 2012 \/ 05:56 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Thousands of women across the country are leading grassroots efforts to make their voices heard in opposition to the federal contraception and sterilization mandate. 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