New York – Conservative-leaning faith leaders and their allies, outspoken in recent years about what they consider infringements on religious liberties, cheered Wednesday as…
New York – Conservative-leaning faith leaders and their allies, outspoken in recent years about what they consider infringements on religious liberties, cheered Wednesday as the Supreme Court issued a pair of rulings that protected certain rights of religious employers.
In Little Sisters of the Poor v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the high court sided with two Catholic schools in finding that certain employees of religious schools, hospitals and social service centers can’t sue for employment discrimination. Critics fear the 7-2 ruling will embolden some religious organizations to fire or otherwise discriminate against LGBTQ employees.
And in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru, also decided 7-2, the court upheld the Trump administration’s allowance for a broad religious or moral exemption from the Obama-era Affordable Care Act’s requirement that employers provide free contraception. Opponents say the decision could leave more than 70,000 women without it.
Vice President Mike Pence reflected the victorious mood on the religious right with a politically tinged tweet underscoring the centrality of President Donald Trump’s courtship of conservative, faith-focused voters ahead of November’s election.
“Two Big WINS for Religious Freedom at SCOTUS today. All Americans of faith can be assured that under President @realDonaldTrump, the Obama-Biden assault on religious liberty is over!”
Others hailing the rulings included the Southern Baptist Convention’s public policy arm, leaders of the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the conservative Family Research Council.
By contrast, Roman Catholics who have urged their church to be more accepting of LGBTQ people were dismayed by the workplace ruling, warning that it could backfire if more faith-based employers were seen as discriminating in their hiring and firing.
