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"We have tried negotiation with the administration andlegislation with the Congress, and we'll keep at it, but there'sstill no fix," said New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, presidentof the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops . "Time is running out, and our valuable ministries andfundamental rights hang in the balance, so we have to resort to thecourts now." Erin Shields, a spokeswoman for the Health and Human ServicesDepartment, said Monday the agency does not comment on pendinglitigation. The liberal advocacy group Catholics United accused the bishops of serving a "right-wing politicalagenda." Health and Human Services adopted the mandate to improve healthcare for women. Last year, an advisory panel from the Institute of Medicine , which advises the federal government, recommended including birthcontrol on the list of covered services, partly because it promotesmaternal and child health by allowing women to space theirpregnancies. However, many leaders across faith traditions and politicalideology argued that the mandate's exception for religious groupswas too narrow. The original rule generally allowed churches andother houses of worship to opt out, but kept the requirement inplace for religiously affiliated nonprofits, including hospitals,colleges and charities. The political furor caught the administration by surprise. Inresponse, Obama offered to soften the rule so that insurers wouldpay for birth control instead of religious groups. However, thebishops and others have said that the accommodation, which is stillunder discussion, doesn't go far enough to protect religiousfreedom. An Obama administration official said the rule was stillunder discussion with religious leaders. The lawsuits are the latest in the intensifying standoff betweenRoman Catholic bishops and the Obama administration during thiselection year. The bishops plan a national campaign for religious freedom in thetwo weeks leading up to the July Fourth holiday. Last week,Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl lambasted Georgetown University , a Jesuit school, for inviting Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to make a graduation speech. Sebelius, who defended religiousfreedom in her talk, was named as a defendant in the lawsuitsMonday, along with her agency and others. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty , a public interest law firm, had previously filed four otherfederal lawsuits challenging the mandate on behalf of religiousschools and others. Still, observers had been closely watching forNotre Dame's next step. The university, dubbed the Catholic Harvard , in the past indicated willingness to work with Obama, despite hissupport for abortion rights. Notre Dame came under unprecedentedcriticism from U.S. bishops and others in 2009 for inviting Obama as commencementspeaker and presenting him with an honorary law degree. In February, when Obama responded to the complaints of religiousleaders about the mandate, Jenkins said in a statement that,"we applaud the willingness of the administration to work withreligious organizations to find a solution acceptable to allparties." On Monday, Jenkins said, "although I do not question the goodintentions and sincerity of all involved in these discussions,progress has not been encouraging." The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is not a plaintiff in thelawsuits. Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik, whose diocese is among those suing thegovernment, said the law firm Jones Day was handling the lawsuits pro bono nationally. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China Dog Sunglasses Goggles , Military Glasses for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Children Sunglasses.
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