EWTN© \ Cws Servi C E GLOBAL CATHOLIC NETWORK ^%^F' Fax 205 271 2920
Eternal Word Television Network, Inc. Television 5817 <ltd Leeds Road Radio /42AVx Irondale, Al. 35210-2164 I SA Online Services Tel 205 271 2900 EWTN© \ cws Servi c e GLOBAL CATHOLIC NETWORK ^%^f' Fax 205 271 2920 Mother M.Angeli c a , I" <>u n il re s s www.ewtn.com Publishing April 5, 2013 Submitted Electronically Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Department ofHealth and HumanServices Room 445-G Hubert H. Humphrey Building 200 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20201 Re: Public Comments for CMS-9968-P Department of Health and Human Services, 45 CFR Parts 157, 148, and 156, Coverage of Certain Preventive Services Under the Affordable Care Act ("Proposed Religious Exemption") Dear Sir or Madam: On behalf of Eternal Word Television Network, Inc., ("EWTN") we respectfully submit the following comments on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ("NPRM") on preventive services. 78 Fed. Reg. 8456 (Feb. 6, 2013). In short, and based on the comments herein below, religious beliefs and conscience objections to contraceptive services are held by people who are not churches and the current proposed rule does not permit anyone other than aChurch to be exempt. To this extent, the rule is deficiently erroneous and must be corrected. Summary: EWFN is anonprofit public charity dedicated to advocating the teachings oftJie Roman Catholic Church, which include the belief that voluntary sterilization, contraception, and abortion are evil. The government is forcing EWTN and others to call these things good and provide them despite moral and conscience objections. Although it claims to provide exemption, this rule literally reduces religious exemption to churches tliereby forcing EWTN and anyone else with valid objections to comply.
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