Posted on 07/14/2015 5:27:08 PM PDT by Kaslin
First, I urge you to watch this short video about the Little Sisters of the Poor. Then, try to wrap your mind around the fact that today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit ruled that the religious order must comply with Obamacare’s abortion mandate, forcing the group to pay for birth control and other drugs that may cause abortions.
More from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty:
The Tenth Circuit heard oral argument in this case in December of last year, when for the first time since the case began, Sr. Loraine Marie Maguire, Mother Provincial of the Little Sisters of the Poor, delivered a public statement on the case (see statement here).
Today the Tenth Circuit ruled that government can force the Little Sisters to either violate their faith or pay massive IRS penalties. The court held that participating in the government’s contraception delivery scheme is “as easy as obtaining a parade permit, filing a simple tax form, or registering to vote” and that although the Sisters sincerely believe that participating in the scheme “make[s] them complicit in the overall delivery scheme," the court "ultimately rejects the merits of this claim" because the court believes the scheme "relieves [the Little Sisters] from complicity."
“As Little Sisters of the Poor, we simply cannot choose between our care for the elderly poor and our faith. And we should not have to make that choice, because it violates our nation’s commitment to ensuring that people from diverse faiths can freely follow God’s calling in their lives.” Maguire said in a statement. “For over 175 years, we have served the neediest in society with love and dignity. All we ask is to be able to continue our religious vocation free from government intrusion.”
The Little Sisters of the Poor received a temporary injunction from the Supreme Court last year, which protected them from the mandate. In an effort to extend that protection the group then went before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver, which ended up ruling against them. Today that ruling has been upheld.
“We’re disappointed with today’s decision,” Mark Rienzi, Senior Counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and lead attorney for the Little Sisters of the Poor, said in a statement. “After losing repeatedly at the Supreme Court, the government continues its unrelenting pursuit of the Little Sisters of the Poor. It is a national embarrassment that the world’s most powerful government insists that, instead of providing contraceptives through its own existing exchanges and programs, it must crush the Little Sisters’ faith and force them to participate. Untold millions of people have managed to get contraceptives without involving nuns, and there is no reason the government cannot run its programs without hijacking the Little Sisters and their health plan. “
The fight for religious liberty is not over yet, however.
“We will keep on fighting for the Little Sisters, even if that means having to go all the way to the Supreme Court,” said Daniel Blomberg, Counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
According to a recent poll, a majority of Americans (53 percent) oppose Obamacare’s HHS mandate.
There’s a warm spot in hell for Obama and his followers.
‘There’s a warm spot in hell for Obama and his followers.”
Why not make it a bit difficult for them now?
It’s long past time for us to grow a pair and start some dissent.
Passive at first.
Why not make it a bit difficult for them now?
It’s long past time for us to grow a pair and start some dissent.
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I believe that time will come. The economy or something else will bring it on but it’s being forced on people.
Just a warm spot?
Kennedy? Little hope from him being a good Catholic and all.
Yup. 1099 is the way to go. Once 1099, then grab the exemption.
Who needs religious freedom to worship anything but The State?
Eagerly waiting for the first mosque to be forced to pay for abortions...
I expected Obama to be shockingly vile and disgusting in our White House. I underestimated his capacity for pure evil conduct.
Washington is the new 666 area code.
What do you think, GSC? Can you answer a question? I guarantee it’s not a trick question.
In general, do nuns reject contraception and abortion for religious reasons?
What happened to Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Burwell?
They should just ignore the ruling the way the obama administration does when they get rulings they don’t agree with.
That doesn’t help. If they even want to be able to exist, even with private funding, and get approval from the fire marshal and all of the other local authorities, they have to meet federal guidelines. This is true whether they accept government money or not.
This attack is meant to kill Church care for the elderly the way it killed Catholic adoption agencies and foster care homes. You go along or you don’t get approved at a local level, whether you accept government money or not, and lack of local approval will simply shut you down.
I’m not sure what you mean there. If they don’t have any employees then they don’t have any obligation to insure anyone under any ObamaCare mandates.
I’d like them to raise the ante and say to the 10th Circuit, “OK, you and what army?”
The Imperial Procurator of the Tenth Circuit has ruled that offering a grain of incense to the Emperor and the gods does not substantially burden Christians’ free exercise of religion or infringe their First Amendment rights.
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