Jacksonville, Fla. – Stand Up for Religious Freedom and stop President Obama’s HHS Mandate by participating in a nationwide rally this Friday, June 8, at noon at Hemming Plaza, 135 W. Monroe Street in downtown Jacksonville.
As the United States Supreme Court prepares to issue its ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), concerned citizens of North Florida will take to the streets this Friday to voice public opposition to the Obama administration’s Health and Human Services Mandate. The HHS Mandate forces all employers – including religious organizations such as Catholic schools, charities and hospitals – to provide free contraceptives, surgical sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs through their employee health care plans, regardless of religious or moral convictions.
The June 8 Stand Up Rally builds on the tremendous momentum created by the first Stand Up Rally held on March 23, with about 400 citizens attending the Jacksonville rally, and more than 63,000 citizens of all faiths attending rallies in 145 cities across the country. The date for the rally was chosen to highlight the HHS Mandate’s unconstitutional infringement of religious freedom, coming just weeks before the highly anticipated Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act, which is expected at the end of June.
Speakers for the rally include: Deacon Paul Consbruck of the Catholic Diocese of St. Augustine and a local practicing attorney; Dr. Rebecca Peck, a board certified family physician who shares her family practice office in Ormond Beach with her husband Dr. Benjamin Peck; Charles Stambaugh, a well-respected local attorney knowledgeable in civil liberties and consumer protection; and Dean Black, a veteran of the Florida Air National Guard and United States Air Force and a local business owner who is also affected by the HHS Mandate. The June 8 Rally also coincides with the 223rd anniversary of the day James Madison introduced the Bill of Rights to the 1st Congress, including what would become the First Amendment. We’re standing up for the First Amendment and demanding that all our health care laws respect religious freedom. For more information, contact Diane Royal, rally captain, at droyalsmiles@gmail.com or visit the www.standuprally.com.