As the recent dust-up over Houston’s subpoena of pastors’ sermons indicates, religious liberty arguably is the most fragile and embattled civil right of our time. Yesterday I sent a letter to the California Director of the Department of Managed Health Care, as well as to the D.C. city council regarding the issue. In the letters, I express concern that recent actions taken or contemplated by these entities threaten religious liberty.
In California, Director Rouillard recently decided that state law requires all health-care plans, including health plans purchased by religious employers, to cover elective abortions. In D.C., the city council is considering a bill that would require religious employers to cover elective abortions and would forbid employers from firing employees who advocate for abortion in opposition to the organization’s religious beliefs. Both California’s decision and the proposed D.C. bill arguably violate the Weldon Amendment, which would result in the state and District losing federal funds. D.C.’s proposed bill is particularly egregious because it’s blatantly inconsistent with the Supreme Court’s recent decisions in Hobby Lobby and Hosanna-Tabor.
The letter to California is available here, and the letter to D.C. is available here.