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CAPITOL HILL REPORT
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SCOTUS Rules to Protect the First Amendment
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It’s easy to get infuriated and disappointed by the state of affairs in Washington. But this week we are happy to bring you a bit of good news out of the Supreme Court.
In a victorious 7-2 decision in Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania, the Court ruled that the Little Sisters are exempt from the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraceptive mandate. The Little Sisters are an order of Roman Catholic religious sisters who serve the elderly poor. In the past decade, the Sisters have been dragged through multiple courtrooms fighting for protection against being forced to fund healthcare plans required under the Obama-era contraceptive mandate, which requires healthcare plans to provide women’s “preventative care,” including birth control and abortion-inducing drugs. Initially, the Obama-era rule only included very narrow exemptions and in 2016 SCOTUS upheld an exemption for the Little Sisters. To add to this, in 2018 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued further guidance on exemptions protecting the conscience rights of Americans. And, following the announcement of this 2018 rule, a handful of states filed suit against the federal government. Pennsylvania and New Jersey successfully blocked the rule in their lower courts and the Little Sisters headed back to the Supreme Court. Â
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It's been an exciting week for Supreme Court rulings. Listen to our update about two religious liberty wins and SCOTUS's decision on the President's tax returns.
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Questions or legislative concerns, please
don't hesitate to contact our D.C. Staff
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| Contact D.C. Executive Director Kirsten Hasler directly via email at [email protected]Â or phone at 202-445-8531. |
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Contact D.C. Political Director Tabitha Walter directly via email at [email protected]Â or phone at 202-341-5737. |
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