January 15, 2019
Contact:
Mollie Katz
202-527-9058
Press@rcrc.org
RCRC Statement on Outcomes of Religious Freedom Cases Challenging ACA
Verdicts Arrive Just Before Religious Freedom Day Jan. 16
Federal district court decisions this week in California and Pennsylvania came down against the Trump Administration’s rule that would have allowed more employers to use religious grounds to deny the Affordable Care Act’s free contraception coverage to their employees. Judges handed down the decisions within days of Religious Freedom Day, Jan. 16, celebrating the vision of religious freedom Thomas Jefferson wrote into the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, a forerunner of the First Amendment.
The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) responded to the court rulings with this statement:
“The Trump Administration is looking at religious freedom through the wrong end of the telescope. No wonder its view is so distorted. To the administration, it appears conservative Christians need more protection for their religious views than the rest of us, especially on reproductive issues. This turns Trump’s brand of religious freedom into a smokescreen for discrimination on religious grounds.
“Real religious freedom honors each person’s right to believe what they wish without negative consequences from government. Based on shared interfaith principles, RCRC has always supported individuals’ right to follow their own conscience in making reproductive decisions. We’re pleased the courts stopped employers from putting their own religious beliefs before the beliefs and needs of their workers.”