Originally published at National Catholic Register
The New York abortion mandate ‘imposes immense burdens on countless religious entities opposed to abortion as a matter of deep-seated religious conviction,’ reads the Sept. 18 petition to the Supreme Court.
A group of nuns and other religious groups with charitable missions are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to block a New York state mandate that would force them to cover abortions in their employee health insurance plans.
“New York’s abortion mandate is so extreme that not even Jesus, Mother Teresa, or Mahatma Gandhi would qualify for an exemption,” said Eric Baxter, vice president and senior counsel at Becket, the non-profit religious liberty law firm that is arguing on behalf of the nuns. “The justices should exempt religious organizations once and for all so they can focus on caring for the most vulnerable.”
The religious groups challenging the abortion mandate include a group of Carmelite Sisters, the First Bible Baptist Church, the Sisterhood of St. Mary, an Anglican Episcopal monastic order of contemplative religious sisters, and Catholic Charities, which provide adoption and maternity services.
The New York abortion mandate “imposes immense burdens on countless religious entities opposed to abortion as a matter of deep-seated religious conviction,” reads the Sept.
