John,

First of all, in the realm of the secular, the left hand kingdom, and natural law, the government has no "right to require that health measures, including birth control and abortion, be provided for employees of a religious group." No such government "right" is ever expressed in our nation's Constitution. You have a false understanding of the foundation of our Republic -- the government does not have "rights," the people do, nor does the government have any authority to force "religious groups," people, managers, owners or companies to pay for people’s healthcare.

In the right hand kingdom (the Church), you err as well. Abortion is not, as you state, a "health measure." Abortion, except in the tragic instance where the life of the mother is clearly at stake medically should the pregnancy continue, is murder, not healthcare. Not only may a religious group, employer, etc., not be pressured to fund murder, but a conscience held captive to the Word of God actually refuses to do so.

Finally, your logic and rhetoric needs tidying up. While it is a false premise to first of all assume that a religious group may be coerced by government to provide vaccinations, to then extend this insistence to abortion is a non sequitur.

I am thankful that you care about important issues, and my hope is that you will engage in a deeper study of our nation's Constitution, the Holy Bible, and the teachings of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. (Not necessarily in that order).

God's Blessings to you,
Pastor Post
Rev. Mark D. Post