Texas Religious Schools Lose in Obamacare Abortion-Drug Mandate Case

dailysignal.com ^ | June 25, 2015 | Elizabeth Slattery

[Morgana]

Earlier this week, religious employers suffered another loss at the hands of the coercive Obamacare Health and Human Services mandate.

A U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit panel ruled against East Texas Baptist University and a group of other non-profit religious employers in their challenge to the Obamacare requirement that they facilitate health care coverage for employees that includes contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs and devices, or fill out a form notifying the Department of Health and Human Services that they have a religious objection to providing such coverage.

This so-called “accommodation” then initiates the process of the government forcing insurers and third-party administrators to provide the mandated coverage to employees. For many religious employers, this alternative to directly providing coverage doesn’t assuage their moral objections.

East Texas Baptist University and many others argue that the causal link between notifying the government and the resulting provision of objectionable drugs and devices still violates their faith, and federal law prohibits the government from substantially burdening the free exercise of religion unless it can show that the burden is the least restrictive means of furthering a compelling government interest.

[JPG]

I think you're right...I was thinking of the DC court of appeals.

[RIghtwardHo]

Ah. Gotcha. yeah. Indeed.

When I was in practice it was the 4th Circuit and boy did Obama ruin that one with harry Reid’s help. And you are spot on about D.C. Cir.

[VermiciousKnid]

I can. Here’s my prediction:

If the Church loses its tax exempt status, EVERY Catholic elementary school on Long Island will close. (The high schools MIGHT survive.) The property taxes alone will kill them, and they are already struggling, in part because of those same property (school) taxes. Parents are convinced that they can’t afford Catholic school because they pay such an enormous fee for the public schools via taxes. So...they don’t send their kids to the parish schools anymore. Add to that the fact that here on Long Island, the diocese has decided to jump on the public school curriculum bandwagon, and the parents (rightly) say, “Well, what’s the difference? They teach the same stuff as the public school.” (Not QUITE correct; there ARE differences, but not enough.)

When I think of what I pay for my Cape Cod house on 1/3 acre ($14K/year), I shudder to think what those Catholic schools would be on the hook for.

Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if many Catholic CHURCHES had to close because of the property taxes.

Regards,