This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
A long list of states and advocacy organizations have coalesced to support a Washington state church that is fighting political demands that it pay for abortion coverage in its insurance policy.
A report from the ADF, which is working on the fight on behalf of the Seattle-area Cedar Park Church, said 18 states now have joined the court arguments on behalf of the church.
As have pro-life groups and religious liberty advocates.
It's all in opposition to the plan by the state of Washington to keep the abortion industry financially funded by demanding that all insurance policies cover abortion – and all policyholders pay for it.
As have pro-life groups and religious liberty advocates.
It's all in opposition to the plan by the state of Washington to keep the abortion industry financially funded by demanding that all insurance policies cover abortion – and all policyholders pay for it.
When the state, through its SB6219 law, forced churches to cover elective abortions in health insurance plans, the church's insurance carrier automatically added the coverage – and the costs.
The fight went to court, where a lower-level judge claimed the church is required to violate its constitutionally protected pro-life religious beliefs and fund the state's abortion mandate.
Now it's pending before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and multiple groups have filed friend-of-the-court briefs in support of the church's religious freedom.
"Cedar Park Church celebrates and protects life from conception to natural death; it’s unconscionable for the state to force any church to pay for abortions," explained ADF lawyer John Bursch. "The abortion coverage mandate requires Cedar Park to act contrary to its religious beliefs and violates its constitutionally protected freedoms.
"The U.S. Supreme Court established that the government cannot compel religious organizations to act in violation of their sincerely held faith convictions. As these other states and advocates affirm, Washington can’t trample on Cedar Park’s right to provide health care for its employees without compromising its faith," he continued.
The ADF reported, "In the multi-state brief led by South Carolina, the attorneys general argue that the district court was wrong to ignore the religious motivation behind Cedar Park’s mission."
That filing explained, "The Supreme Court has established that religious organizations enjoy First Amendment protection regarding how they participate in seemingly secular activities, especially relating to the care of children, when those activities implicate the religious beliefs, central mission, and operation of the religious organizations."
Then another brief, from the Sutherland Institute, warned of the dangers of the government being able to force churches to violate their beliefs.
"Until recently, supporters and opponents of abortion rights acknowledged that coercing religious organizations to support abortion triggers profound questions of religious freedom. Dragooning religious organizations into becoming complicit in abortion is no mere health-and-safety regulation: it is an intolerable invasion of religious autonomy," it charged.
Among those supporting the church are the Institute for Faith and Family, Life Legal Defense Foundation, Montana Public Policy Center, Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Clinic, Oregon Right to Life Robertson Center for Constitutional Law, the Sutherland Institute, and the states South Carolina, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia,"
