Contact: Mary Clare Spence, President, Vita Familiae, 214-662-9633, 27spencm@cardinalmail.cua.edu

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- As students and members of Vita Familiae at The Catholic University of America, we oppose the HHS contraceptive mandate. A society that insists that contraceptives be distributed for free is a society that values pleasure over the dignity of the human person. Contraception is not necessary for women's health. In fact, there is abundant evidence that contraception can be harmful to women's physical and psychological health. It turns the woman into an object to be used rather than a person to be valued and makes it easier for women to do the same to men. Contraception denies both the procreative and the unitive meanings of the sexual act. The HHS mandate treats fertility as a disease, and by making the "treatment" free, implies that "curing" it is our most important public health priority. A child is not the unfortunate result of a biological disorder, nor is it a commodity that everyone has the right to possess. A child is a gift bestowed on its parents by virtue of their spousal union. This mandate violates the First Amendment right of religious liberty of Catholic Americans by forcing their cooperation in acts that violate the moral teaching of the Church. More broadly, this mandate tramples on the rights of conscience of millions of Americans whose considered judgment is that contraception violates the moral law and undermines the wellbeing of the women and men who resort to it. There is no place for this mandate in a free and just society.

Vita Familiae is a student organization that promotes the values of marriage and family in society. It is a member group of the Love & Fidelity Network and receives support and training from The Ruth Institute.