IRS scandals raise doubts over HHS mandate judgment

Last updated on: June 11, 2013 at 11:34 pm by CNA Daily News

IRS scandals raise doubts over HHS mandate judgment 2013-06-11T23:34:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Washington D.C., Jun 11, 2013 / 05:34 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The targeting of conservative, pro-life and religious non-profits by the Internal Revenue Service is drawing concern over the agency’s authority to decide exemptions to the HHS mandate.

“The HHS mandate hinges on what constitutes a religious entity,” said Ashley McGuire, a senior fellow at the Catholic Association and editor of AltCatholicah, a Catholic women’s web magazine.

McGuire explained to CNA during a May 10 interview that the IRS has “authority in determining what a religious entity is” for purposes of deciding which employers much comply with the controversial mandate.

Issued by the Department of Health and Human Services, the mandate requires employers to offer health insurance covering free contraception, sterilization and some drugs that can cause early abortions.

A wave of protest against the regulation has sparked a multi-step process to issue a revision that takes religious objections into account. As currently proposed, this revision would allow a small percentage of religious organizations to be exempt from the mandate, based on their tax status with the IRS.

Late last month, however, the IRS admitted that certain non-profit organizations’ applications for tax exempt status received increased scrutiny due to their names and political themes. Additionally, some targeted groups were required to disclose lists of donors, blog and newsletter content, and prayers used at events.

These groups included politically conservative organizations as well as pro-life groups and religious organizations and charities such as Christian Voices for Life, Family Talk Action and Samaritan’s Purse, among others.

Pointing to a recent article in the Weekly Standard, McGuire explained that in the midst of this new controversy, the IRS will become responsible for deciding whether or not organizations are forced to abide by the mandate if it violates their consciences.

She explained that the “way the regulation is written, it is the IRS that determines whether an organization qualifies for full exemption from the HHS mandate.”

“So the very enforcers at the IRS, whose own inspector general admits they systematically targeted conservative and religious groups, will now get to decide who is entitled to ladle soup into a bowl for a homeless person without violating his or her conscience,” McGuire wrote in the Weekly Standard.

In the midst of the scandal in which “religious values were indeed scrutinized by bureaucrats,” the IRS will “gain new authority to determine what constitutes religious activity and which religious employers are entitled to conscience rights,” she continued.

“If the case for repealing this unjust intrusion on the free exercise of religion was always strong, in recent weeks it’s gotten stronger still,” she added.

McGuire told CNA that the only way to ensure that the sort of political targeting that has occurred already by the IRS does not result in an infringement on religious freedoms via the contraception mandate is to either “completely repeal the mandate” or give a religious exemption to “anyone who asks for an exemption.”

Uncategorized

Previous Post

June 11, 2013

Mexican cardinal: spread peace, not violence

Next Post

June 12, 2013 Bishop laments student's nude protest as intolerant

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was the wise woman who saved her city from Joab by throwing a man's head over the wall?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Michal A woman of Abel Bathsheba Abigail