Posted on 01/18/2019 3:31:17 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
On Friday the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Health and Human Services finally announced that it found California violated the federal conscience protection laws. This is the first time since the launch of the new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division one year ago that OCR has found a violation under these laws.
Several pregnancy resource clinics in California complained that the state of California had fined them for refusing to refer others to, and advertise, abortion clinics. In 2015, California adopted the Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency Act, which required pregnancy resource centers to essentially advertise nearby abortion clinics. However, two amendments (the Weldon and Coats-Snowe amendments) prohibit state and local governments that receive certain federal funds from subjecting healthcare entities to discrimination.
If this sounds at all familiar, it’s because the Supreme Court already addressed this in its infamous case this last summer, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra and ruled the FACT Act violated the First Amendment free speech rights of pregnancy resource centers. In one of Justice Anthony Kennedy’s finer concurring opinions, he stated that “viewpoint discrimination is inherent in the design and structure of [the] Act” and is a “matter of serious constitutional concern.”
The fact that OCR’s Conscience and Religious Freedom Division has made this call is good news. It shows that HHS finally has some teeth when it comes to the issues of free speech and religious liberty — especially as they often intertwine. However, one wonders what took so long, and I hope in the future they can announce such discoveries perhaps well before or just as another branch of government is reviewing it. That said, OCR did conduct an independent investigation which shows sound thinking...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
Has Gavin Newsom announced his support for abortion, for any reason, up until birth like his twin Marxist Liberal brother Cuomo? Have they added Murder as part of the Marxist Liberal platform, ya think?
I wonder if they will enjoy each others company in Hades one day.
Now go after Oregon and Colorado
And what, exactly, is the penalty for this violation? Who went to prison? Who was fined?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.