CLS Submits Two Briefs Today
November 20, 2012 - CLS filed two amicus briefs today to preserve the right of Americans to live out their religious beliefs in their professional lives.
In the Ninth Circuit, CLS defended the right of pharmacists to refuse to dispense drugs that they consider to be abortifacients. The brief provides the scientific evidence for the pharmacists’ reasonable belief that the drugs Plan B and ella may destroy human life. The brief also discusses the Christian tradition of respecting each individual unborn human as a unique moral being. Along with the Bioethics Defense Fund, CLS was co-counsel for Christian Medical Association, American Association of ProLife Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Catholic Medical Association, Association of American Physicians & Surgeons, and Christian Pharmacists Fellowship International.
In the Eighth Circuit, CLS supported the right of a Christian business owner to run his business according to his prolife convictions. The case is one of nearly 40 cases challenging the legality of the HHS Mandate, a federal regulation that requires employers to provide insurance coverage for Plan B and ella. While the Mandate exempts a handful of "religious employers," the exemption is so narrow that most religious employers do not qualify for the exemption.
The brief explains why the Mandate’s definition of “religious employer” sharply departs from the bipartisan tradition of respecting religious conscience rights. Joining the CLS brief are: Association of Gospel Rescue Missions; Prison Fellowship Ministries; Council for Christian Colleges & Universities; Association of Christian Schools International; National Association of Evangelicals; Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention; Patrick Henry College; and the Institutional Religious Freedom Alliance.