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| The Devil in the Details |
Bill Smith, Editor: The following
Washington Post article brings to light the Obama administrations advancement of social positions not in line with main stream America. It also highlights that political officials are willing to interfere with the separation that is supposed to occur between Contracting Officers or contract review committees and the political appointees and others outside of the contract award process. In any other administration, these type actions interfering with the acquisitions contracting process would have triggered a GAO investigation into the interference in the contracting procedure.
Finally, regardless of the good work done by Catholic, Protestant or non-religious groups, this situation highlights another area where the Federal Government should not be funding these type programs. The U.S. Government is broke which means that to maintain these type programs, we must borrow money (from China, Saudi Arabia, etc.) to allegedly help others. It was wrong for President George Bush to have supported these type programs although he was correct that non-government groups could provide these type services far better than the government. It is also wrong for the present Obama administration to be doing so as well. Private agencies should aid these these victims and others but with private money. It is not the role of the Federal Government to fund these programs.
HHS is a money pit which has at its very core the desire to "help" by controlling people and determining what and how they can live. It is a Federal department that should be defunded and abolished. It continues to be used to social engineer society into the mold envisioned by liberal progressives. And, as the below article highlights, "
the Devil is in the details." And, Christian agencies should realize that when they accept Federal money, they eventually are going to be forced to dance to the tune of elitists who do not value life or liberty for anyone except maybe themselves.
Abortion splits White House and Catholic groups
By Jerry Markon: contentious battle between Catholic groups and the Obama administration has flared in recent days, fueled by the new health-care law and ongoing divisions over access to abortion and birth control.
The latest dispute centers on a decision by the Department of Health and Human Services in late September to end funding to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to help victims of human trafficking, or modern-day slavery. The church group had overseen nationwide services to victims since 2006 but was denied a new grant in favor of three other groups.
The bishops organization, in line with the church’s teachings, had refused to refer trafficking victims for contraceptives or abortion. The American Civil Liberties Union
sued, and HHS officials said they made a policy decision to award the grants to agencies that would refer women for those services.
The bishops conference is threatening legal action and accusing the administration of anti-Catholic bias, which HHS officials deny.
The fight further sours an already difficult relationship between the government and some Catholics over several issues. The bishops fiercely oppose the administration’s decision in February
to no longer defend the federal law barring the recognition of same-sex marriage. Dozens of Catholic groups also have objected in recent weeks to a proposed HHS mandate — issued under the health-care law — that
would require private insurers to provide women with contraceptives without charge.
On the trafficking contract, senior political appointees at HHS awarded the new grants to the bishops’ competitors despite a recommendation from career staffers that the bishops be funded based on scores by an independent review board, according to federal officials and internal HHS documents. . . .
Under HHS policies, career officials usually oversee grant competitions, and priority consideration is given to the review board’s judgment. The policies do not prohibit political appointees from getting involved. “I think it’s a sad manipulation of a process to promote a pro-abortion agenda,” said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, a spokeswoman for the conference. She has written on the organization’s blog that the decision reflects an HHS philosophy of "
ABC (Anybody But Catholics)". . . .
HHS had said that at least four grants for trafficking victims would be awarded, but Sheldon said he decided that the $4.5 million would be shared among three nonprofit groups: Heartland Human Care Services, Tapestri and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.
The applications of Tapestri and the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants were scored significantly below the Catholic bishops’ application by the review panel, the individuals familiar with the matter said. . . .
The trafficking contract was aimed at providing housing, counseling and other services to trafficking victims who are held in workplaces through force or fraud. It was first awarded in 2006, after a controversial decision by the George W. Bush administration to direct more federal social service contracts to faith-based groups. The contract ultimately provided the Catholic bishops with more than $19 million to oversee those services. . . .
This spring, as the contract approached its expiration, HHS political appointees became involved in reshaping the request for proposals, adding a “strong preference” for applicants offering referrals for family planning and the “full range” of “gynecological and obstetric care." That would include abortions and birth control; federal funds cannot be used for abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother.
“When important issues that are a priority arise, it’s common for senior policy advisers of the department to have a dialogue . . . to reach the best policy decision," said Sharon Parrott, a top Sebelius aide closely involved in the process. “The priority in this case was how to best meet the needs of victims of trafficking so they can take control of their own lives."
The “strong preference” language now lies at the heart of the dispute. Sheldon, the HHS assistant secretary, said that it played a role in selecting the new grantees and that "it’s very important that these victims, who have experienced trauma . . . be provided the full range of information."
The bishops conference says the language essentially stacked the deck against the group and violated federal laws barring discrimination based on religion. "This was a political decision," Walsh said.
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“Ceis admits to having done thousands of abortions over her 35 years of business,” the pro-life group indicates. “That closure will leave Santa Fe abortion-free and will reduce the number of abortion clinics in New Mexico to five. Cies’ abortion business offered abortions to 18 weeks at a cost of $500-$1,200. She also conducted abortions at St. Vincent Hospital in Santa Fe.”
