Free exercise of religion under attack by Obama as illustrated by his attack on the Little Sisters of the Poor

Fox News commentator and former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Andrew P. Napolitano had some harsh words for President Obama over the way he is treating the Little

Judge Andrew P. Napolitano

Sisters of the Poor.  In case you’ve missed the story, the Obama Administration wants to force the Little Sisters to comply with his HHS Mandate that would require them to provide birth control and abortion producing drugs at no cost to their employees. 

The Little Sisters, who operate nursing homes for those unable to afford it, have asked for a waiver from the Obama Administration citing their religious beliefs against birth control and abortion.  Obama has refused and forced the Little Sisters to go to federal court to try to protect their freedom to practice their religion.  Obama is resisting and if the Little Sisters lose their court battle they will either have to comply with the Mandate, which is against their religious beliefs, or be subject to fines that will put them out of business.

Here is part of what Judge Napolitano had to say (there is a link to the entire article at the end):

“In a pluralistic society, one would expect that the government would accommodate the sisters. In a free society in which everyone who works for the government takes an oath to uphold the Constitution, the feds have a legal obligation to accommodate them. In a political society in which many Catholics are Democrats who elected the Congress that gave us Obamacare, one would expect an accommodation. But we expect in vain, as the federal government has resisted the sisters mightily and asked the courts to turn down their pleas.

“What is wrong with Obama that he would employ lawyers to do this? For starters, he does not believe in natural rights. He accepts the perverse view — known as positivism — that our rights come not from God, but from the government. This is not an academic argument, as, in the president’s world, if the government is the source of freedom, then the government can restrict it. This is, of course, the opposite view from that of Judeo-Christian values, the Framers, the Constitution and American law; thus it violates the oath of office the president took.”

He concludes:

 “If the government can tax you and me and selfless nuns for fidelity to long held religious beliefs while exempting others because of their fleeting political beliefs, then the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment is meaningless. And our rights are in the hands of a congressionally enabled tyrant.”

You can read the judge’s entire article here.