Attorneys for Little Sisters of the Poor and four Oklahoma Christian colleges announced Thursday, July 23, 2015 that they will appeal the previous week’s ruling from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver that found that President Obama’s health care law adequately protects them from having to provide coverage of contraception for their employees.
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He continued: “The Sisters consider it immoral to help the government distribute these drugs”. “We perform this loving ministry because of our faith and simply can not choose between our care for the elderly poor and our faith, and we shouldn’t have to”. The Little Sisters self-insure, which means that the trustee operating their plan must provide these services free to their employees.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals last week found that the law did not infringe on the religious liberty of Little Sisters of the Poor and four Oklahoma Christian colleges that had challenged it in court.
While acknowledging the groups have a “sincere” religious objection to the mandate, the appeals court said the opt-out procedure does not create a “substantial” burden required for them to prevail under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. The orders had protected the Little Sisters from mandate penalties while their case was working its way through the court system. “The government is willing to exempt big companies like Exxon, Chevron, and Pepsi Bottling, but it won’t leave the Little Sisters alone”.
Last year the Supreme Court found that “closely-held” businesses like Hobby Lobby were also exempt from the law’s contraception mandate. Today’s petition is the fifth the Court has received and makes it likely the Court will decide in the upcoming term whether religious ministries, like religious for-profits, will receive protection from the Mandate.
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The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, requires employers to provide coverage for “preventive care” for women, which according to rules issued by the Department of Health and Human Services must include the full range of FDA-approved contraceptives. The Becket Fund and Supreme Court advocate Paul Clement (the same legal team that won the Hobby Lobby case) filed the petition on behalf of the Little Sisters, as well as a handful of other groups. “One would think they would get the message and stop pressuring the Sisters”, stated Rienzi.
