The Blog

Rabbis Side with Catholics, Urge Obama to Drop Mandate

12:19 PM, May 24, 2012 • By HOWARD SLUGH
Widget tooltip
Single Page Print Larger Text Smaller Text Alerts

On May 7, 2012, the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), the largest organization of rabbis in the United States, approved a resolution recognizing that the Health and Human Services (HHS) regulation that mandates employers provide access to contraceptives, abortifacient drugs, and sterilizations forces many employers to “violate the injunctions of their religion.” The RCA, which represents more than 1,000 Orthodox rabbis, urged the Obama administration to amend the regulation to protect the religious liberties of all employers.

The RCA resolution also recognized the important role the Catholic Church has played in safeguarding religious liberties. Recently, 43 Catholic organizations filed lawsuits challenging the mandate. The rabbis who supported this resolution intended to correct the misconception that this is a uniquely Catholic or Christian issue, or that the desire to amend the resolution stems from an animus towards women. The HHS regulation coerces many Jewish employers into violating their theological obligations and demeans the important relationship between rabbis and their congregants. The question at the heart of this issue is whether the administration will create the religious exemption necessary to protect religious people’s ability to fully participate in the economy.

Prior to the new lawsuits, public scrutiny of this mandate had lost its intensity. The media had achieved some success in misconstruing opposition to the mandate as a “war on women” led by the Catholic Church, rather than as a broad multi-faith effort to protect constitutional rights. They had turned their coverage to other issues, and many people, even some opponents of the mandate, seemed to accept the mandate as a fait accompli.  Against that backdrop, the RCA decided it had to act. The rabbis who supported this resolution hope to demonstrate that this issue affects people of all faiths and highlight the importance of safeguarding every American's religious liberty.



Supporters of the current regulation frame arguments in favor of religious exemptions as a “war on women.” The supporters of this resolution want to make clear that they aim to protect the sacred relationship between clergy and the faithful. Religious people want the administration to take reasonable steps to protect their liberty; the “war on women” narrative is a politically motivated smear. A religious waiver is required in this area in order to ensure that Orthodox Jews, along with adherents of other faiths, can run businesses and employ others, without being mandated to violate the tenets of their religion.

Howard Slugh is an attorney in Washington, D.C.

Recent Blog Posts

The Weekly Standard Archives

Browse 19 Years of the Weekly Standard

Old covers