FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 16, 2016
Contact: Mallory Quigley, [email protected], 202-223-8073
Abortion-Inducing Drugs Mandate Violates Religious Freedom and will NOT Reduce Rates of Unintended Pregnancy or Abortion
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This morning the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided to send Zubik v. Burwell and related cases back to the lower courts for resolution. The Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious nonprofits have argued that the so-called “accommodation” devised by the Obama Administration violates religious freedom protections secured by the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).
“Religious liberty and rights of conscience have been attacked like never before under President Obama. Fortunately, today the Supreme Court took a step towards scaling back those attacks. We are thankful the Supreme Court has protected religious nonprofits like the Little Sisters of the Poor from either having to violate their consciences by providing abortion-inducing drugs and devices or else face crippling fines,” said Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “The Court has affirmed religious liberty as a foundational American value and we hope to see the lower courts do the same.”
The Court did not rule on the merits of the case, however, all along SBA List, the Charlotte Lozier Institute, and others have argued that the government has no compelling interest in making religious nonprofits violate their consciences by forcing them to adhere to the abortion drug mandate.
An amicus curiae brief previously submitted in the case by Michael New, Ph.D., an Associate Scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute, explains that: “At the state-level, contraceptive mandates have produced no discernible reduction in rates of unintended pregnancy or abortion. A federal mandate will be no more effective than state mandates have been in reducing rates of unintended pregnancy or abortion.”
“Although we welcome the court’s action today,” Dannenfelser added, “this lengthy and expensive litigation only underscores the dangers of the Affordable Care Act and other actions by the state and federal governments that tread on profound issues of conscience. We renew our call on the Congress to step forward and adopt legislation like the Lankford-Fleming Conscience Protection Act to strengthen protections for the health care industry with respect to compelled involvement in abortion, and we continue to support the right of every individual and employer in the United States to procure or provide for health insurance coverage that upholds the sanctity of innocent human life.”
The Susan B. Anthony List and its Political Action Committees, the SBA List Candidate Fund and Women Speak Out PAC, are dedicated to pursuing policies and electing candidates who will reduce and ultimately end abortion. The SBA List is a network of more than 465,000 pro-life Americans nationwide.
Charlotte Lozier Institute was launched in 2011 as the education and research arm of Susan B. Anthony List. CLI is a hub for research and public policy analysis on some of the most pressing issues facing the United States and nations around the world.
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