A Win for the Culture of Life: Little Sisters of the Poor Overcome Contraception Mandate
By Anna DeMeuse, Pro-Life Wisconsin Communications Director
In a 7-2 vote Wednesday, the United States Supreme Court upheld religious exemptions, enacted by the Trump administration, which allow employers to refuse to pay for birth control within their company health care plans.
The Affordable Care Act of 2010 states that employers must provide health care plans which include coverage for all FDA approved contraception. Many groups which oppose contraception because of deeply held religious values, such as the Little Sisters of the Poor and Hobby Lobby, have been fighting this contraception mandate for years. The court’s decision today to uphold religious liberty and conscience rights is a huge win for the culture of life and religious employers everywhere!
Science shows that contraception can act as an abortifacient, causing early chemical abortions by obstructing the implantation of the newly formed human embryo in his or her mother's womb. Furthermore, widely available contraception promotes the contraceptive mentality which views pregnancy as a "disease" against which women must be "protected" at all costs. Abortion, in turn, simply becomes backup contraception. Find out more about contraception here.
Sister Constance Veit from the Little Sisters of the Poor commented, "we believe in the dignity of every human life at every stage of life from conception until natural death. We've devoted our lives — by religious vows — to caring for the elderly. And, we literally are by their bedside holding their hand as they pass on to eternal life. So, it's unthinkable for us, on the one way, to be holding the hand of the dying elderly, and on the other hand, to possibly be facilitating the taking of innocent unborn life."
In the majority opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote:
"For over 150 years, the Little Sisters have engaged in faithful service and sacrifice, motivated by a religious calling to surrender all for the sake of their brother. But for the past seven years, they — like many other religious objectors who have participated in the litigation and rulemakings leading up to today’s decision — have had to fight for the ability to continue in their noble work without violating their sincerely held religious beliefs."
“No employer should ever be forced to pay for the destruction of innocent human life,” said Dan Miller, Pro-Life Wisconsin State Director. “We are pleased that the Supreme Court decided in favor of life and liberty today.”
Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and John Roberts joined Justice Clarence Thomas in the majority opinion in Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania. Justices Elena Kagan and Stephen Breyer concurred, and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.