Administration lawyers argue Hobby Lobby ruling on birth control doesn’t apply to religious groups

FILE: May 22, 2013: Customers are seen at a Hobby Lobby store in Denver. (AP)

The Obama administration says faith-based nonprofits should comply with ObamaCare’s birth-control mandate because they have more leeway than the corporations that won a Supreme Court ruling on the issue last year.

Government attorneys made the argument on Thursday to the Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, after pro-life ministry Priests for Life asked the court to reconsider a ruling it made last fall that requires religious nonprofits to object in writing to regulations that require employer health care plans to insure contraceptives, as reported by The Washington Times.

The group says the court’s decision contradicted the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Hobby Lobby case, which stated closely held corporations did not have to insure contraceptives that conflicted with their owners’ beliefs, particularly morning-after pills that some equate with abortion.

The justices cited the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, which requires the government to achieve its aims in the least restrictive way.

But the administration says nonprofits should not expect the Hobby Lobby case to bail them out, considering “the linchpin” of the high court’s ruling was the “opt-out alternative afforded to organizations such as the plaintiffs in this case.”

Click for more from The Washington Times:

View the original article here

Administration lawyers argue Hobby Lobby ruling on birth control doesn’t apply to religious groups

Electronic Patient Administration system to be implemented

The Ministry of Health is implementing a pilot project that will see the establishment of the Electronic Patient Administration System (ePAS) in eight facilities.

Health Minister Dr Fenton Ferguson, says these include the four Centres of Excellence and four Regional Hospitals.

“The pilot project is funded through the National Health Fund to the tune of $50 million. This is a part of the National Health Information System Strengthening and E-Health Strategic Plan 2014-2018 for which we are receiving support from GNU Solidario. This will be a game changer and will bring greater efficiencies in our health care system while establishing that platform to advance the local and international health agendas,” Dr Ferguson said.

The ePAS is among the priority technology solutions which will be implemented on a phased basis starting with the pilot phase. This is being done through a two-year memorandum of understanding signed in September 2013 with GNU Solidario, the lead for the community of developers for the GNU Health software.

View the original article here

Electronic Patient Administration system to be implemented

Justice Minister calls for greater efficiency in administration of laws

KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Justice Minister Mark Golding has called for greater efficiency in the administration of laws in order to eliminate the need to bring legislation to Parliament to correct technical errors.

Golding was speaking in the Senate Friday (June 26) as he piloted the Conch (Export Levy) (Validation and Indemnity) Act. The legislation, which was passed in the House of Representatives on Tuesday (July 23), seeks to confirm as lawful, the acts done in good faith by officers of the Veterinary Services Division in the collection of levies from conch exporters in relation to the 2011 conch season.Golding said that the bringing of Bills to validate the acts done in good faith is happening “too often.”“It would be best if we could be so efficient in our administration of legislation and of delegated powers that we do things meticulously and ensure that we have followed every bureaucratic and legislative requirement at the time it is required to be followed and we don’t have to bring legislation afterwards to correct some technical error that has been made, which is what this validation Bill is really about,” he said.For his part, Leader of Opposition Business, Senator Arthur Williams, recommended that the Permanent Secretaries Board conduct a review of the kinds of matters that the Parliament has had to validate because of “administrative slip-ups” so as to improve the system.The Conch (Export Levy) Act of 2009 provides for the mandatory payment of conch levies by exporters of conch to the Veterinary Services Division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.The Principal Act requires that for any subsequent conch season, the rate ought to be prescribed from time to time by the Minister, by Order, subject to affirmative resolution of the House of Representatives.There was no levy prescribed for conch exported during 2011 season, which spanned the periods March 1 to March 23; and April 4 to July 30.However, the officers of the Veterinary Services Division, acting in good faith, continued to collect in the 2011conch season, a levy at the rate imposed for the 2010 conch season.As result, it became necessary to validate and confirm as lawful, the acts of the officers in collecting the levy, which was US$1 per pound of conch exported.The Bill was passed with no amendment.Like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/jamaicaobserverFollow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/JamaicaObserver

View the original article here

Justice Minister calls for greater efficiency in administration of laws