HANNIBAL – President Obama’s “compromise” in a recent mandate that would require religious institutions like Hannibal-LaGrange University (HLGU) to pay for abortion-causing drugs got an F from the school’s board of trustees.
During their Feb. 10 meeting, the board unanimously adopted a statement denouncing what HLGU’s president, Woody Burt, called a violation of conscience and religious liberty. The statement was drafted before the president announced a compromise that would shift the cost of the medication from the institutions to the insurance companies. The board members called that compromise an accounting gimmick and said their statement still stood. The statement reads in part:
“Hannibal-LaGrange University is in total oppositional to the Obama administration’s mandate that health insurance plans cover contraceptives, including ones that can cause abortions. We believe that this decision to require schools like HLGU to provide its employees medical coverage which covers abortion-inducing contraceptives is an affront to our religious liberties. We strongly oppose any governmental edict that infringes on the fundamentals of our beliefs.
“… we firmly believe that God holds human life to be sacred. We strongly object to legistlation that mandates providing abortion coverage (Plan B, Ella, morning after pill, or RU-486) to our employees and their dependents.”
The school currently provides its health insurance through GuideStone Financial Resources, and their group plan “does not cover abortion, abortifacients, or emergency contraception, procedures, services or medication that would yield similar results.
The statement praised and encouraged GuideStone for its vocal opposition to the mandate.
The board also approved a new missions policy, formally giving priority in its missions partnerships to Southern Baptist entities. They discussed directives related to implementing that policy, and will vote on them in a future meeting.
In a move to cut costs, the school has decided to cease holding a separate December graduation ceremony. All students will “walk” at a May commencement.
Pat Benson, chairman of HLGU’s presidential search committee, reported to the board that the committee is making progress and hopes to introduce a candidate by the board’s next meeting, which is May 5.
By BRIAN KOONCE/ staff writer
bkoonce@mobaptist.org