Contact: Becky Miller

RMiller@NYGOP.org

518.462.2601

Albany, NY-Feb. 9…President Obama andSenator Gillibrand’s assault on religious freedom in America is the latest example of their overreaching, ideological driven agenda, which ignores our basic Constitutional rights, New York State Republican Chairman Ed Cox said today.

President Obama and Senator Gillibrand are using the destructive Obamacare legislation to force religious institutions and their affiliate hospitals and universities to supply contraception and abortifacients to employees through their health insurance policies – in direct violation of religious beliefs. The contraception and abortifacients can easily be obtained by those employees – for free or at minimal cost – in many other ways, Mr. Cox noted.

Senator Gillibrand is also brazenly using the issue to raise money through online fundraising appeals.

“Senator Gillibrand is blatantly trampling on the basic American tenet of religious freedom,” Chairman Cox said. “This issue has zero to do with birth control, which is easily available, and everything to do with Senator Gillibrand’s doctrinaire liberal agenda, which is in direct contradiction to our Constitutional freedoms. Gillibrand’s Obamacare agenda has a singular thrust: Government knows what’s best for us than do individuals, churches, synagogues, mosques, or small businesses.”

Chairman Cox today challenged New York congressional Democrats to publicly refute the anti-religious-freedom mandate. “President Obama’s Democrat Party has broken faith with America’s religious institutions. What we are witnessing is an unprecedented and chilling federal overreach into our churches, synagogues, and mosques.”