Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Fowler, was among the freshmen congressmen who held a news conference at the Capitol Wednesday to label it the “Day Religious Freedom Died.” That was when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ birth-control coverage mandate went into effect, requiring most employers to cover contraception in their health-insurance plans without co-pays. Huelskamp called the policy “anti-Catholic bigotry” and said, “We thought we were past that, but the mandate from this administration represents the rearing of its head again.” Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., likened it to Pearl Harbor and the 2001 terrorist attacks. “I want you to remember Aug. 1, 2012 – the attack on our religious freedom. That is a date that will live in infamy, along with those other dates,” Kelly said. The policy change is being challenged by 24 lawsuits.
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