“The Little Sisters of the Poor should be spending its time and resources helping the poor, not having to fight the Obama Administration over a clear-cut violation of its right to free exercise of religion,” says Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel.
The Little Sisters of the Poor case “is not about the availability or adequacy of a religious accommodation,” the Obama Justice Department said today. Responding to Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s blocking of a requirement for the religious group to provide contraception and abortion-inducing drugs and devices, the Obama Administration told the group of Roman Catholic women who serve the elderly poor that it is not suffering any injury since it can be exempted from the contraception mandate by simply signing a statement indicating its objection.
“President Obama has never told the truth about ObamaCare in general or the abortion mandate in particular. Little Sisters of the Poor cannot simply sign a form to alleviate the violation of its religious conviction. Signing a form noting its objection is a shell game. While the Little Sisters of the Poor may not have to directly pay for abortion, the religious group still has to indirectly pay for abortion through its insurance administrator. The fact that the group is being forced to provide the opportunity for an employee to kill a child is where the violation of religious freedom occurs, no matter who pays for the murder,” says Mat Staver. “The White House can cloak the fundamental issue with bureaucratic forms and legalese, but the truth is, people who own or run religious organizations, be it for profit or nonprofit, should not be forced to be complicit with the murder of innocent children,” Staver says.
“Religious freedom is not confined to church walls,” says Staver. “The convictions of religious people do not change with the day of the week. Those deeply held religious beliefs are the same in the workplace as they are in the sanctuary.”
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.
