Sebelius Questioned On Constitutional Basis For Contraceptive Coverage Mandate

Catholic News Agency reports on the testimony of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' April 26 testimony at a hearing before the Education and Workforce Committee of the House of Representatives. While the hearing was to focus on the HHS budget, South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy  questioned Sebelius about the constitutional basis for the controversial mandate under the Affordable Care Act requiring health insurance policies to cover contraceptive services. (Video of questioning.) Gowdy questioned Sebelius about the level of scrutiny to be applied to actions that infringe religious exercise and about specific Supreme Court precedents. Sebelius responded that she is not a constitutional lawyer and that she relied on discussions with her Department's lawyers in developing the mandate.