HOUSTON -- Today the Supreme Court agreed to hear all seven cases concerning objections by non-profit religious organizations to the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate. The Obama administration has given the organizations an accommodation, allowing them to opt out of providing the coverage merely by notifying the government of their objection. In that case, the insurers must provide the coverage at no cost to the employer. Plaintiffs argue that sending a a notice of their objection constitutes an “undue burden” on their religious liberty.
The following may be attributed to Rebecca L. Robertson, Legal & Policy Director of the ACLU of Texas:
“As Americans, religious liberty is our birthright. But the question in these cases is whether, in order to respect religious liberty, we must allow people of faith to impose their personal beliefs on those who may not share them. The plaintiffs make the extraordinary argument that merely notifying the government of their objection to providing contraception coverage infringes on their religious liberty. Their real purpose seems to be denying their employees the ability to choose for themselves what preventative care is right for them. I hope that the Court will see the plaintiffs’ preposterous claims for what they are and reject them.”
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