Lankford opposes Biden health mandate

Senator James Lankford (R-OK) along with Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Representative Debbie Lesko (AZ-08), and a bicameral group of lawmakers demanded the withdrawal of a pending Biden Administration proposed rule, which would eliminate moral exemptions that protect individuals and entities who object to providing health insurance coverage of contraceptives.

Joining Lankford and Hyde-Smith in sending the letter were Senators Steve Daines (R-MT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Jim Risch (R-ID), and Mike Braun (RIN).

“As Members of Congress, we have a unique constitutional interest and oversight role in ensuring regulations governing the ACA comport with the law and congressional intent, and do not exceed their congressional mandates,” the lawmakers wrote.

“While appropriately maintaining the religious exemption rule, the Proposed Rule would, however, eliminate the moral exemption rule, which exempts nonprofits and for-profit entities without publicly traded ownership who object based on their moral convictions to providing some or all forms of contraceptive coverage. The Proposed Rule would subject nonprofit organizations, small businesses, and other covered entities to crippling fines unless they violate their fundamental moral convictions,” the lawmakers continued.

The letter argues that the rule should be withdrawn because it would force individuals and entities, including secular pro-life organizations, to provide contraceptive coverage that violates their sincerely held moral convictions, including their convictions about human dignity and the sanctity of human life. The rule creates a new program that will divert exchange user fees in a way that will benefit the abortion industry financially and, in bypassing the appropriations process, deprive Congress of the opportunity to establish appropriate guardrails.

““The contraceptive mandate has led to more than a decade of legal challenges, including several Supreme Court decisions, due to the Obama Administration’s efforts to impose this mandate on nonprofit and for-profit entities who object to some or all forms of contraceptive coverage based on sincerely held religious beliefs or moral objections,” the letter asserts.

The letter urges the Departments of Health and Human Ser vices, Labor, and Treasury to maintain the religious exemption from the contraceptive mandate, and reject mandating accommodations that still burden religious exercise, noting that this exemption is legally required under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment.

The letter has the support of CatholicVote, Heritage Action, Students for Life Action, Concerned Women for America LAC, and the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s HHS Accountability Project.

Lankford continues to lead the Senate in protecting the lives of the unborn and protecting Americans’ conscience rights. Lankford recently led his colleagues in filing a public comment letter demanding greater implementation and enforcement of all of the statutory conscience protections enacted by Congress, as reflected in the previous rule issued under the Trump Administration.