"Federal Appeals Court Rules Against Little Sisters of the Poor", we are truely at the gates of hell....

Try to wrap your mind around the fact that today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled that the religious order must comply with Obamacare’s abortion mandate, forcing the group to pay for birth control and other drugs that may cause abortions. More from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Tenth Circuit heard oral argument in this case in December of last year, when for the first time since the case began, Sr. Loraine Marie Maguire, Mother Provincial of the Little Sisters of the Poor, delivered a public statement on the case which goes as follows: Mother Loraine Speaks Out for the Little Sisters of the Poor For Immediate Release: December 8, 2014 Media Contact: Emily Hardman, ehardman@becketfund.org, 202.349.7224 Washington, D.C. – Sr. Loraine Marie Maguire of the Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of nuns who vow to serve the elderly poor, made a statement today outside a courthouse in Denver just after a highly anticipated hearing in the case (see video). The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral argument for Little Sisters of the Poor v. Burwell, a closely watched case that has already been to the Supreme Court once. The case involves the government’s mandate forcing religious ministries to violate their faith or pay massive IRS penalties (see video). For the first time since the case began, Sr. Loraine Marie Maguire, Mother Provincial of the Little Sisters of the Poor, delivered a public statement on the case. The following statement can be attributed to Sr. Loraine Marie Maguire, Mother Provincial of the Little Sisters of the Poor: As Little Sisters of the Poor, we offer the neediest elderly of every race and religion a home where they will be welcomed as Christ, cared for as family and accompanied with dignity until God calls them to Himself. We have done this for over 175 years because of our faith in God and our vocation as Little Sisters of the Poor. But now the government demands we choose between our care for the elderly poor and our faith. We cannot do that and we should not have to. It is a choice that violates our nation’s historic commitment to ensure that people from diverse faiths can freely follow God’s calling in their lives. But the government forces us to either violate our conscience or take millions of dollars that we raise by begging for the care of the elderly poor and instead pay fines to the IRS. We are not seeking special privileges. The government exempts huge corporations, small businesses, and other religious ministries from what they are imposing on us–we are simply asking to carry on our mission to serve the elderly poor as we have always done for 175 years. We are thankful that the court has heard our case and for the work of the Becket Fund, and we prayerfully await the judges’ decision. The following statement can be attributed to Mark Rienzi, Senior Counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and lead attorney for the Little Sisters of the Poor: A year after losing at the Supreme Court, the government’s aggressive pursuit of the Little Sisters of the Poor continues. Untold millions of people have managed to get contraceptives without the involvement of nuns. The idea that the most powerful government in the world cannot come up with a way to distribute these products without forcing the Little Sisters to participate is ridiculous Today the Tenth Circuit ruled that government can force the Little Sisters to either violate their faith or pay massive IRS penalties. The court held that participating in the government’s contraception delivery scheme is “as easy as obtaining a parade permit, filing a simple tax form, or registering to vote” and that although the Sisters sincerely believe that participating in the scheme “make[s] them complicit in the overall delivery scheme," the court "ultimately rejects the merits of this claim" because the court believes the scheme "relieves [the Little Sisters] from complicity." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “As Little Sisters of the Poor, we simply cannot choose between our care for the elderly poor and our faith. And we should not have to make that choice, because it violates our nation’s commitment to ensuring that people from diverse faiths can freely follow God’s calling in their lives.” Maguire said in a statement. “For over 175 years, we have served the neediest in society with love and dignity. All we ask is to be able to continue our religious vocation free from government intrusion.” The Little Sisters of the Poor received a temporary injunction from the Supreme Court last year, which protected them from the mandate. In an effort to extend that protection the group then went before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, which ended up ruling against them. Today that ruling has been upheld. “We’re disappointed with today’s decision,” Mark Rienzi, Senior Counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and lead attorney for the Little Sisters of the Poor, said in a statement. “After losing repeatedly at the Supreme Court, the government continues its unrelenting pursuit of the Little Sisters of the Poor. It is a national embarrassment that the world’s most powerful government insists that, instead of providing contraceptives through its own existing exchanges and programs, it must crush the Little Sisters’ faith and force them to participate. Untold millions of people have managed to get contraceptives without involving nuns, and there is no reason the government cannot run its programs without hijacking the Little Sisters and their health plan. “ The fight for religious liberty is not over yet, however. “We will keep on fighting for the Little Sisters, even if that means having to go all the way to the Supreme Court,” said Daniel Blomberg, Counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. According to a recent poll, a majority of Americans (53 percent) oppose Obamacare’s HHS mandate.