Watching the Steelers on Monday Night Football, I had a surprising and discomforting reaction to the Star-Spangled Banner.

As a Catholic American reeling from the Obama administration’s ominous Health and Human Services mandate on abortive and contraception services, I felt for the first time disenfranchised by our National Anthem. The sight of the veterans on hand at the stadium only worsened my sense of woe. Seeing these national heroes who gave everything to defend my freedom, I could not help but think their sacrifice was in vain.

From our nation’s founding, we have cherished religious liberty as our first right. The yearning to obtain this right has driven countless many to our shores for centuries, and continues to do so today.

Now, however, this right has been taken away from many of us.

What makes it worse is the realization most Americans don’t care, as was made clear in the recent election. In fact, most Catholics don’t seem to care much either, as they supported President Barack Obama’s re-election bid by a slight majority.

Of course, maybe it’s not so much that people don’t care as it is they don’t know. The HHS mandate will force Catholic health care and social organizations to provide abortive and contraceptive services to their employees, even though these things go directly against the Catholic Church’s teachings.

The Obama campaign successfully conspired with the mainstream media to confuse the issue, though. Remarkably, they twisted the conservative position that Catholic organizations should not be forced to pay for contraception into the ludicrous claim conservatives wanted to take away women’s rights.

It was an insidious lie and everyone knows it, even if few seem to care.

As a Catholic American, I now am forced by the government to violate my conscience. What many tout as a victory is, in actuality, a dreadful loss for us all.