About the Blunt Amendment, Sen. Susan Collins wrote, “DHHS issued a final regulation to require faith-based organizations to pay for health insurance that covers contraceptives and sterilizations regardless of the organization’s religious beliefs. I believe that such a mandate poses a threat to our religious freedom and presents ‘faith-based organizations with an impossible choice between violating their own religious beliefs or violating federal regulations’.”

Many people have had to make this “impossible choice.”

For example, I have a deep religious objection to war, rooted in the Ten Commandment obligation not to kill. The U.S. government certified that I have a true religious objection to war and classified me a conscientious objector in 1969, exempting me from military service.

Each year, however, I am forced to pay for weapons and war through my taxes. Every year, the IRS has offered me a choice between violating my religious beliefs or going to jail.

Against the dictates of my religion, U.S. law has forced me to make the “impossible choice” to pay for killing. I have chosen to follow the law.

If our government will no longer violate people’s religious consciences, I would welcome a refund of all the war taxes that I have paid in violation of my religion over the years, which I will donate to organizations supporting peace.

Alternatively, I urge Collins and the rest of Congress to hold all institutions and people equally accountable to follow U.S. law.

I was exempt from military service, but I am not exempt from paying for others to serve. Similarly, as I see it, Catholics who are against contraception should not be required to use contraception.

However, they should have the same responsibilities as other employers for paying for their employees to have insurance.

Stan Davis

Wayne