Churches file federal complaint to stop CA from forcing abortion insurance coverage
During U.S. Supreme Court arguments on the Hobby Lobby case, liberals mocked Justice Kennedy for asking the Obama administration’s lawyer whether its contraception mandate could also force for-profit companies to cover abortions in their insurance policies.
Only five months later liberals have taken this to the unimaginable extreme: On August 22, the California Department of Managed Health Care announced that all employers offering health insurance – not just for-profit but also nonprofit, religious institutions, and churches – had to provide coverage for all elective abortions.
How it happened
Last fall the ACLU, working with pro-abortion employees at two Catholic universities in California, filed a complaint with DMHC demanding the schools offer abortion insurance. The employees won. DMHC suddenly decided abortion fell under under a 40-year-old California law requiring employers to cover “basic health care services.”
DMHC notified California insurance companies, which began notifying companies. Here is one such insurance letter sent to a church. Click to enlarge…
In September, Life Legal Defense Foundation and Alliance Defending Freedom filed a federal complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of pro-life employees from those universities who oppose abortion coverage in their insurance plans.
Churches respond
Yesterday, the two pro-life organizations filed a new federal complaint with HHS on behalf of seven California churches that do not want to cover abortions in their employee insurance plans.
As letters from insurance companies roll out, more churches are sure to join this complaint, if necessary.
The action taken by DMHC directly violates the federal Weldon Amendment, which states no federal funds will be dispensed to any government agency that discriminates against any health care entity for not covering abortions.
California, of course, receives billions of dollars annually from the federal government, which should immediately shut off the funding spigot to the state for this gross violation.
HHS is responsible to enforce the Weldon Amendment.
There is no time table under which HHS is obligated to respond.
If HHS doesn’t stop DMHC in a timely manner, Casey Mattox of ADF told me in a phone interview today the churches will consider filing legal action.
Too crazy to be true – not
“What’s really frightening is that when you think of worst case scenarios, this goes beyond that,” said Mattox. “Progressives will always progress. Now they want churches to pay for abortions. Where will they go next? Nothing will satisfy them.”
Mattox said it’s time to wake up. “It’s not as if abortion zealots are going to look around one day and decide they have pushed their agenda far enough, Mattox said. “They ‘re going to keep pushing, and people who respect conscience and life have to fight back just as hard.”
Mattox noted that letters from insurance companies are trickling out, and some carriers may never notify a church about the new abortion normal, so many are still unaware.
“This is all so crazy it’s difficult to convince churches they’re now covering abortions,” noted Mattox. “But California churches must be proactive and call their insurance companies to confirm.”
[tweet_box]CA churches may not believe they now have to provide #abortion insurance. But it’s absolutely true.[/tweet_box]
If you represent a California church and would like to join the federal complaint, contact Mattox at www.alliancedefendingfreedom.org/legal-help or 1-800-Tell-ADF, or LLDF’s Catherine Short at info@LLDF.org or 1-707-224-6675.
Help needed from pro-life/conscience legislators
In addition, California state legislators and members of Congress need to step up to the plate to stop this gross violation of the First Amendment.
Republican Kevin McCarthy represents California’s 23rd District and was just elected Majority Leader of the House.
Legislators like McCarthy are urged to tell DMHC to stop the insanity, or tell the Executive Branch to enforce the Weldon Amendment.
[tweet_box].@kevinomccarthy pls help stop your home state CA from illegally forcing churches to cover abortions![/tweet_box]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
On August 22, the California Department of Managed Health Care announced that all employers offering health insurance – not just for-profit, but also nonprofit, religious institutions, and churches – had to provide coverage for all elective abortions.
So much for “separation of church and state”. I’ve observed for years that any such “separation” was only applied to conservatives, not liberals (sorry, I don’t see them as progressive, only regressive).