NARAL/NY's (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League/New York) has been targeting the Long Island State Senate Caucus with newspaper ads and railroad station handouts over the past two weeks which ape the deviousness of the Jurassic Park raptor dinosaurs. The senators are accused of blocking a bill to provide women with mammogram screenings! Like the extinct raptors, NARAL/NY is its own worst enemy for evolving into an organization which deflects attention away from the real issue: Freedom of Religion.

The New York State Assembly and Senate bills (Women's Health Care: Assembly: A2003, A2006; Senate S3, S1265, S5626/5627) mandate insurance plans which would include mammograms, PAPS, osteoporosis, and Lyme screenings. Also, massage, lip abnormality, nutrition, and cranial prosthesis (wigs) therapies.

However, the State Assembly has purposely introduced artificial family planning, contraceptive devices, emergency chemical abortion therapy, etc. into the Assembly Bill. Therefore, NY State's religious institutions and employees, and employers of conscience would be mandated to provide services considered by many to be immoral. The true lobbying mission of Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and the Democratic Assembly is to discredit, weaken, and eliminate religious health care systems, and personal religious freedom to further reproductive rights agenda.

Previous attacks on religious freedom by the New York State Legislature occurred in the 1850s with the infamous Blaine Amendment (parents of children in private schools are dually taxed for the education of their children), and the legislation of the early 1900s which sought to send Catholic wards of the state to non-Catholic homes out of state.

Once again, the New York State Legislature is threatening the full practice of religious freedom without government interference! Most of the Long Island State Senate Caucus realizes the need for a "conscious clause" to be included in this bill following 13 other states. Unfortunately, the Democratic Assembly will not accept the suggestion. Religious schools, hospitals, nursing homes, etc. would be forced to provide faithful employees with morally offensive service or eliminate health care insurance. The wisdom of the Senate Caucus is to be admired!

California and Pennsylvania have passed "Women's Health Care" laws without a "conscious clause" forcing religious organizations in those states to band together to fight government encroachment on freedom of religious practice in the courts.

July 4, 2001 still sees the attempted elimination of religious freedom by the few (NY State Democratic Assembly, and special interest groups such as NARAL/NY and Planned Parenthood) on other citizens. Seems like pre-1776?

Dr. Joseph M. Cassin