Little Sisters of the Poor are making their case to the public by launching a new website as they prepare to take their legal battle to the Supreme Court.
The Little Sisters are a Catholic organization that provides housing and care for the elderly poor. In accordance to their religious beliefs, they do not provide contraceptives to their female employees, but this violates a regulation stemming from the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
The new site aims to provide information to the public about their case and to counteract what they allege is government misinformation about it.
The government’s brief says the Little Sisters need to just file a form stating they’re a religious non-profit that objects to providing coverage for contraceptive services on religious grounds, and all will be solved.
But as Matt Bowman pointed out in National Review, that’s simply not the case: “The government deliberately added more language to the Little Sisters’ form. Because their plan is ‘self-insured,’ in addition to stating their religious objection, the government requires their form to also specifically tell their insurance administrator that he has ‘obligations’ to provide the abortifacient and contraceptive coverage himself.”
Some of the other key facts included in the website are as follows:
- 1 in 3 Americans do not have a plan that is subject to the mandate HHS is fighting so hard to force the Little Sisters of the Poor to follow.
- Exxon, Chevron and Pepsi as well as other large corporations are exempt from the mandate.
- The US military, which employs millions offers a family insurance plan exempt from the mandate.
- There is an easy solution that protects the Little Sisters’ religious freedom and the right of the government to offer these services to women who want them. Rather than trying to force religious plans to offer these services, the better solution is for the government to provide these services through the ACA healthcare exchange to any employees who want them but can’t get them through employer plans.
The website also features a comic explaining the battle between Health and Human Services and the Little Sisters. Here’s an excerpt.
In the wake of Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, the balance of the court has been thrown off, so it likely will be more difficult for the Little Sisters to see a victory.
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments beginning Wednesday, March 23. You can find the Little Sisters of The Poor’s new website here.
