Over at Public Discourse, Melissa Moschella writes:

Many people think it’s an exaggeration to claim that religious freedom is under fire in our nation today. Yes, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a mandate that will force employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs. And yes, the Catholic Church teaches that facilitating access to these products and services is wrong. But aren’t the Catholic bishops crying wolf, trying to make a mountain out of a molehill?

The answer to that question is a resounding no. The threats to religious freedom in our nation are real, and they’re serious. And things will get worse unless we respond in defense of our rights. The HHS mandate is one example of a larger, disturbing pattern of government disregard for this fundamental right. What is most worrisome is not that laws are being passed that burden the free exercise of religion, but the callousness with which this is being done.

This is part 1 of a two-part series.