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Wednesday, November 22, 2017

States Sue to Overturn New Trump Rule and Force Little Sisters of the Poor to Fund Abortion Drugs


By Steven Ertelt
Life News

The Trump Administration issued new rules protecting Little Sisters of the Poor from having to pay for abortion-causing drugs in their employee health care plans. Now, two states have filed suit to force the organization of Catholic nuns to pay for abortion drugs.

As LifeNews reported, President Donald Trump signed a religious liberty executive order that would protect Christian organizations like the Little Sisters of the Poor from being forced to pay for abortions.

The order indicates the Trump administration will “provide regulatory relief for religious objectors to Obamacare’s burdensome preventive services mandate, a position supported by the Supreme Court decision in Hobby Lobby.”

However, pro-abortion attorneys general in two states don’t want the Catholic nuns to enjoy that protection. The Little Sisters of the Poor are heading back to court to defend themselves against lawsuits by the states of California and Pennsylvania to take away the Little Sisters’ religious exemption from the new Health and Human Services rule.

The abortion activists are suing to stop the Trump order that protects religious non-profits like the Little Sisters of the Poor, Catholic nuns who dedicate their lives to caring for the elderly poor, from providing services like the week-after pill in their healthcare plans in violation of their faith. If it stands, the new rule should mean that their lawsuit against the federal government will soon end.

However, shortly after the new mandate was issued, the states of California and Pennsylvania sued to take away the religious exemption the Little Sisters just won. The Little Sisters of the Poor, represented by attorneys with Becket, are asking the court to ensure that they can continue their vital ministry of caring for the elderly poor without violating their faith. Becket will file to intervene on the Sister’s behalf later today.

Mark Rienzi, senior counsel at Becket and lead attorney for the Little Sisters of the Poor, told LifeNews: “Sadly Josh Shapiro and Xavier Becerra think attacking nuns is a way to score political points. These men may think their campaign donors want them to sue nuns, but our guess is most taxpayers disagree. No one needs nuns in order to get contraceptives, and no one needs these guys reigniting the last administration’s divisive and unnecessary culture war.”

The Trump order limits a rule created under the Obama administration’s Affordable Care Act that required that employers, including non-church religious organizations, must cover all forms of contraception, from birth control pills to abortion drugs and devices at no cost to the employees.

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