The Foundation for Moral Law filed a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court supporting Catholic nuns against an Obamacare mandate that they say violates their freedom to express their religious beliefs.
The Little Sisters of the Poor have been battling Obamacare for years. The Catholic nuns argue that their religious freedoms have been violated by an Obama era mandate in the Affordable Care Act that requires that they provide coverage for contraceptive practices that they find morally reprehensible to their employees as part of their healthcare coverage.
The Foundation for Moral Law is a Montgomery based nonprofit dedicated to the defense of religious liberty. The Foundation filed a brief at the U.S. Supreme Court defending the Little Sisters and religious liberty.
Shortly after Congress passed Obamacare, religious employers sued, claiming that they should not have to pay for contraceptives (some of which induce abortion) if they had religious objections. One of those groups was the Little Sisters of the Poor, which is a group of Catholic nuns that serves the poor. In 2016, the United States Supreme Court gave the federal government a chance to create accommodations for the Little Sisters. In 2017, the Trump administration finalized those regulations, which protected groups like the Little Sisters.
A federal district judge struck down the Trump Administration regulations and issued a nationwide injunction barring the federal government from enforcing them. When the Third Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed, the Little Sisters and the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to take the case. The Foundation filed an amicus brief in their support.
“Religious freedom is an inalienable right given to us by God,” Foundation President Kayla Moore said in a statement. “The Trump administration should be commended for finding ways to protect the Little Sisters’ First Amendment rights instead of being dragged into yet another round of litigation.” Moore added, “It is the height of irony that the Obama mandate would require Catholic nuns to pay for contraceptive services that they do not and will not use.”
“In our brief, we argued that the Founders intended for the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment to protect religious liberty in cases like these,” Foundation staff attorney Matt Clark said. “We also argued that the Founders never intended to give a federal district judge the power to issue nationwide injunctions.”
“It has been six long years since we began our legal battle against government mandates that threaten our ministry,” said Mother Loraine Marie Maguire of the Little Sisters of the Poor in a statement. “We hope we have finally reached the end of this arduous process, that the Supreme Court will reaffirm their previous decision, and that we will soon be able to keep our focus on the elderly poor.”
The Foundation for Moral Law was founded by former Chief Justice Roy Moore (R). Moore is married to Foundation President Kayla Moore and is a candidate for the Senate seat currently held by Doug Jones (D).
