Responding to ObamaCare's other mandate, a budding protest movement will stage rallies tomorrow in more than 150 U.S. cities. The "Stand Up for Religious Freedom" coalition, including people of various denominations and faiths, will mark the 223rd anniversary of James Madison's introduction of the Bill of Rights by demanding the repeal of a new federal regulation.
Friday's protests have been sparked by a rule from the federal Department of Health & Human Services that will force religious institutions to provide contraceptives and abortifacients even if they violate religious belief.
This week's events may be just the start of a month of protests. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has called for a "fortnight of freedom" beginning June 21 and concluding on Independence Day, July 4.
As a purely political matter, the new policy may seem inexplicable in an election year. But perhaps the White House has convinced itself that, whatever the doctrine of a particular faith, most Americans won't object to the new mandate. Even organizers of the Friday rallies say that some participants don't actually have a problem with contraception, but are outraged that the federal government would seek to override religious belief. Team Obama will now learn whether there will be a political cost to its policy.
Speaking of costs, many religious leaders are signalling that even if upcoming protests don't succeed, they intend to accept the consequences of defying the federal government. At services last Sunday, many Catholics received a letter from the bishops conference saying that "When fundamental human goods, such as the right of conscience, are at stake, we may need to witness to the truth by resisting the law and incurring its penalties."