Why the HHS Mandate Violates Religious Liberty

Christian Legal Society’s Center has consistently made the following arguments in the 16 briefs that it has filed in the federal courts of appeals challenging the HHS Mandate’s violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the First Amendment.  

Argument Summary  

For two years, many religious organizations have sought a definition of “religious employer” that respects all faith communities’ religious liberty as the current definition fails to protect most religious ministries that serve as society’s safety net for the most vulnerable.  Religious Definition Fails to Protect >>

The so-called “accommodation” compels non-profit religious organizations to provide access to drugs that violate their religious beliefs.  Accommodation Fails >>

The mandate’s inadequate definition of “religious employer” departs sharply from the Nation’s historic bipartisan tradition that protects religious liberty, particularly in the context of abortion funding.  Religious Conscience >>

Exemptions for religious conscience have been a bipartisan tradition in the health care context for four decades.  Bipartisan Tradition >>

The Mandate as applied to objecting religious organizations violates basic federal statutory and constitutional religious liberty protections.   As Applied >>