The Impact to American Society if PPACA is not Repealed

HIGHLANDS, NJ, July 12th – Under the guise of providing “optional” birth control services, President Obama and his supporters in the Senate and House of Representatives, led by Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Bob Menendez, and Frank Pallone, will deny We the People's freedom to practice religion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), commonly referred to as Obamacare. By infringing this freedom, Obama and his supporters also impede critical aid to the neediest of Americans, indeed all Americans.

The Catholic Church has advocated for the right to life from conception until natural death, for generations and is the only Christian denomination that continues to stand against the use of artificial birth control. Adults who voluntarily choose to patronize or work at Catholic institutions are already aware of the Church's position on these matters. Adults who wish to receive prescription birth control while employed or attending a Catholic institution can choose to purchase birth control on their own or patronize another institution. No one forces these individuals to adhere to the Church's beliefs, violate their convictions, or attend Catholic institutions. They are free to choose.

However, the PPACA threatens to close down charitable institutions sponsored by the Catholic
Church, through fines and penalties for refusing to perform abortions, sterilizations or provide
prescription birth control. These fines would force these Catholic institutions to choose between
violating the tenets of their faith, or obeying their consciences and facing increased costs that
will have to either be passed on to those receiving their services, or have the increased costs
reduce them to bankruptcy and closure. Either option denies Catholics and all people of faith the
freedom to practice their religion. Not only will Catholics and other Christians suffer from the
denial to operate ministries, but the entire country will suffer from the loss of the Church’s
charity work, which will be especially painful now, in this time of critical need.

Take for example, education: the Catholic Church educates 2.6 million children every year, at a
cost of $10 billion a year to students’ parents and sponsoring parishes.1 The same 2.6 million
children would cost taxpayers an estimated $18 billion to teach in public schools.1 The Church
also operates 230 Catholic colleges and universities in the U.S. which educate more than 700,000
students each year, and they advance to achieve top positions in their fields.1

If the Catholic schools are closed, parents in low-income, urban districts would be forced to send their children back to failing public schools, compounding the existing overcrowding conditions.
College students would be forced to apply and enroll at new institutions, possibly losing
education credits, or possibly paying more tuition in order to meet different college requirements
for graduation. All existing schools and colleges would have to increase public school taxes and
college tuition costs to cover construction of new facilities and added teacher expenses to
accommodate the influx of new students.

The Catholic Church also operates 637 nonprofit hospitals, which treat one in five patients in the
United States every day.1 Through Catholic Charities, the Church also provides food, shelter,
clothing, counseling and other services to the poor and needy nationwide, regardless of the
client’s religious affiliation. As just one small example, the local chapter of Catholic Charities in
the Chicago area provides 2.2-million free meals each year.1 That is just one of the cities served
by Catholic Charities, and just one part of its mission.

If Catholic hospitals, schools, and charities are closed, who will support those in the most dire
need in low income, urban areas? Government programs are already failing to support them now.
By closing down religiously affiliated charities who provide education, health care, and other
services, PPACA will not help people, but rather will push those already struggling to survive to
complete collapse.

We must protect our freedom to practice our faith, as well as our freedom to choose which
schools and hospitals to meet our family’s needs. We must continue to allow the Catholic
Church and other religious groups to provide education, health care, and other services to those
in greatest need, an essential practice of the Christian faith. Closing Catholic and religious
charities will only increase the costs to the taxpayer, while decreasing services to the
communities.

This is the reality of Socialist and Communist forms of government, and the suppression of a
fundamental right: freedom of religion. History has shown us what happened when the Socialist
and Communist-led governments of 1930s’ Germany and Russia moved to suppress the people's
belief in God, eliminated the freedom to practice religion, and forced people to rely on
government for every need.

We must repeal PPACA before this happens. We must elect new leadership for the offices of
President, Senate, and Congress. This is how We the People will protect our United States
Constitution, freedom, and unique way of life.

For more information about Anna Little for Congress, or to volunteer, please visit
www.annalittleforcongress.com or call 732-658-5461.

1- Reference: From pages 16 and 17 of “Rediscover Catholicism,” Second Edition, by Matthew
Kelly, ©2010, Beacon Publishing