NEW YORK -- Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, today noted that almost two dozen friend-of-the-court briefs have been filed recently in support of his group’s Supreme Court lawsuit against the Obama administration’s HHS mandate.
“It’s truly gratifying, but not surprising, that 207 Members of Congress, 20 states, constitutional law scholars, EWTN, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and diverse religious friends ranging from Orthodox Jewish Rabbis to the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro, Tennessee have filed briefs in support of our case,” said Fr. Pavone. “Former United States Attorneys General, charities such as World Vision and Catholic Relief Services, and representatives of the Hindu and Lipan Apache cultures all agree that what the Obama administration is trying to impose on people of faith is not just legally wrong, but also potentially disastrous to the millions of impoverished Americans who could be denied the assistance that religious institutions provide.”
The U.S. Supreme Court last November agreed to hear Priests for Life’s lawsuit and six other cases challenging the Obamacare requirement that non-profit religious groups provide health insurance coverage to their employees for drugs, devices, and procedures that violate their deeply held beliefs. Under the HHS mandate, groups that refuse to comply will be assessed crippling fines. Oral arguments before the Supreme Court in the seven cases are expected this March or April.
“The many amicus briefs filed in support of Priests for Life and the other petitioners representing charitable groups across the nation point out that the Obama administration is, in effect, telling religious organizations to renounce their faiths or face fines that will destroy them,” added Fr. Pavone.
“The HHS mandate, which was created not by Congress, but by the President’s bureaucrats, is not just bad law, it’s contrary to our nation’s heritage. The government cannot tell religious Americans what they can and cannot believe.”
Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.