Pray: A U.S. Judge in California Is Telling Christian Churches They Must Cover Abortion in Their Insurance Plans

Fr. Mark Hodges : Sep 12, 2017
LifeSiteNews.com

"If the state can force a church to pay for the very thing they counsel against ... then no American is secure. The court's decision ignores the longstanding freedom of faith communities to act consistently with their religious mission." -ADF's Jeremiah Galus

(Sacramento, CA)—[LifeSiteNews.com] A federal judge told three Christian congregations in California that they have no case in wanting to opt out of the state's requirement that they cover abortions through their health insurance plans. (Photo: Creative Commons/via Pixabay)

U.S. District Court Judge Kimberly Mueller upheld a 2014 requirement of the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) that all employers throughout the state must pay for abortion insurance for their employees. She told the three churches that they failed to state an adequate claim.

The churches—Foothill Church in Glendora, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, and The Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch—sued the state in 2014 after being informed that they could not prohibit or restrict coverage for elective abortions.

The churches "believe and teach that abortion destroys an innocent human life" and "participation in, facilitation of, or payment for an elective abortion is a grave sin," according to court documents.

The DMHC reclassified abortion as "a basic health care service" in 2014 under ObamaCare, making abortion insurance a mandatory provision for all business, regardless of the employer's sincerely held beliefs.

DMHC Director Michelle Rouillard explained in a letter to the Churches at that time that abortion must be legally equated with maternity care. Her decree noted that the state constitution criminalizes "discriminating against women who choose to terminate a pregnancy."

Rouillard's decree came after Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount Universities took abortion off their employee insurance plans, while still allowing employees to purchase the insurance on their own.

The Catholic universities later wrote to Rouillard about her DMHC decree conflicting with their religious convictions, but Rouillard refused to back down.

Under President Obama in 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services rejected Christian complaints that California required churches to pay for abortion insurance.

So far, seven churches have joined the two Christian universities in filing complaints with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, saying the decree violates the constitutional rights of faith-based employers to religious freedom and equal protection.

The Life Legal Defense Foundation and Alliance Defending Freedom assisted the churches in...

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