By Seth Johnson
It's time, the chief of a prominent pro-life organization says, to stand against the tyranny of government-mandated abortion funding.
"Since Obamacare was first introduced, we warned that the day could come when Christians would be required by the state to violate their consciences through forced payments for abortion," said Troy Newman, president of Operation Rescue and co-author of the stunning new book, "Abortion Free: Your Manual for Building a Pro-Life America One Community at a Time."
"Now, with this mandate in California that imposes forced abortion funding on churches, it has come time for men and women of faith to stand against this tyranny and refuse to comply with this unjust law that would make us accessories to the taking of innocent human life," he said.
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His outrage was directed at a move in California where insurance regulators simply changed the definition of necessary insurance – and told insurance companies to include abortion coverage in all policies – even those funded by churches.
The change was brought about by the state health agency that took a 40-year-old state law outlining basic health care and added to it abortion coverage.
Read the definitive explanation on how to make a community "Abortion Free."
Other groups have spoken out against the change, and the Alliance Defending Freedom has joined with officials from Life Legal Defense Foundation to file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
It explains that the seven churches being represented in the complaint have faith-based reasons to oppose abortion, and requiring them to pay for those procedures would violate federal law.
"California is flagrantly violating the federal law that protects employers from being forced into having abortion in their health insurance plans," ADF Senior Counsel Casey Mattox said. "No state can blatantly ignore federal law and think that it should continue to receive taxpayer money."
Newman wants Christians to understand that encroachments on religious freedom will not stop with this issue, or with this state.
"Those in California need to understand that this assault on our religious liberties is just the beginning. It will never end if we do not stand firm today and refuse to fund abortion," he said.
The California decision was announced to insurance companies by the state Department of Managed Care. It said abortion coverage must be in all insurance plans.
Newman and his Operation Rescue colleague Cheryl Sullenger have put together a manual for fighting back against the millions of abortions that occur every year in the United States in their new book, "Abortion Free."
In order to better protect the unborn, Newman suggests that pro-life groups make sure the information they use is credible.
"In this work, credibility is a virtue. People need to trust that what you say is true and that you can back it up. Pro-life activists are held to a high standard, and there are always those who are looking to discredit information from pro-life sources," he said.
Newman also emphasizes the need for pro-lifers to be passionate in their cause.
"We love it when the abortion crowd describes us as relentless. That shows we have instilled in them the reality that we will never stop until abortion is outlawed or we take our last breaths, whichever comes first.," he said.
Newman acknowledges that the fight against abortion will be long and tedious, and that those on the side of life shouldn't allow themselves to be discouraged by setbacks and delays.
"Some days will be good and it will seem that everything is going your way, but you need to brace for the days when everything goes wrong – and it will." He also noted its best to learn from mistakes and to "keep moving forward."
"The lives of innocent children need your unwavering defense and your undiluted voice," he writes.
Published by WND Books, "Abortion Free" is about the more than 50 years of experience shared by Newman and Sullenger in the fight against abortion.
They also explain how to:
- find out who the abortion doctors are in your community and if they have a record or are even licensed in your state,
- get clinic workers to help you acquire evidence,
- alert the press and authorities of criminal activities,
- expose dirty and sundry clinic conditions,
- inform the public and the leaders of what is taking place, and
- help the women in need.