LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Make government retract its hand

For years, we have watched our religious freedoms being eaten away. Many say we have a secular nation.

Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Baptists indeed said there was a wall of separation protecting them from the threatening hand of government. Yet, when Jefferson was in office there were religious services at the Capitol building itself. Centuries later, there was a private Mass for President John F. Kennedy at the White House itself.

We have a “nation under God” with “In God We Trust” stamped on our paper money, The Ten Commandments are inscribed at the Supreme Court. All these indicate a Judeo-Christian country.

Now we have a very secular president with a fallen-away Catholic secretary of health and human services reaching the government’s hand into our private lives to deny the right of conscience for church-related entities and individual employers. How? They are mandating by that ugly hand that we pay either directly or via insurance premiums for evil poisons that cause babies to be aborted. Furthermore, certain birth-control methods are associated with increased risk of breast and cervical cancer.

This must be stopped. All decent citizens and religious communities should join in keeping this violation of religious liberty on the front burner so that the ugly hand of government will be withdrawn and at least this part of our freedom will be restored.

PATRICIA KENNEDY

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

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