Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette today announced that a federal judge has issued a ruling blocking the implementation of a controversial U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate that would force religious employers to violate their religious and faith-based beliefs by providing insurance plans that cover services, including abortion-inducing drugs, that conflict with those beliefs.
The ruling comes in a lawsuit filed by Michigan-based Weingartz Supply Company and Legatus, an organization of Catholic business owners, to defend religious liberty and challenge the unconstitutional Obama administration mandate. Schuette filed an amicus brief in support of the plaintiffs on September 27, 2012.
"Religious liberty is America's first freedom," said Schuette. "Any rule, regulation or law that forces American employers to violate their free exercise of religion is a flat-out violation of the First Amendment and federal law, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
"This victory is an important step in defeating an unconstitutional mandate that will force private sector job-providers across America to violate their conscience. The First Amendment applies to everyone, and we must defend religious liberty for all, not just the chosen few dictated by the federal government."
