Catholic Charities sues Michigan officials, accuses state of ‘religious targeting’

Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton, and Clinton Counties, which is in Michigan, filed a federal lawsuit June 26 accusing state officials of excluding its counseling center from two publicly funded treatment programs because of the organization’s Catholic beliefs opposing abortion and contraception. 

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, names Attorney General Dana Nessel and former Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel as defendants. It accuses the state of violating Catholic Charities’ constitutional rights by revoking the organization’s Cristo Rey Counseling Center’s designation as a provider of specialized substance abuse treatment for women because of its religious policies.

According to the complaint, Cristo Rey had participated in the Women’s Specialty Services and Enhanced Women’s Services programs for more than a decade without complaints, failed audits, or deficiencies in the care it provided.

The Lansing counseling center had been the region’s only designated provider for both programs, which are funded largely through Medicaid and federal substance-use block grants administered by the Mid-State Health Network, the lawsuit states.

Cristo Rey provided nearly 400 therapy sessions through the programs in 2024 and 2025, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which is representing Catholic Charities in the case. The center assists women experiencing mental health and substance-use disorders, including pregnant women and mothers with dependent children.

In a June 26 ADF statement, Deacon Bob Bauer, interim CEO of Catholic Charities, said Catholic Charities serves “the most vulnerable populations within the Lansing region” rooted in “Jesus’ love and guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

“The work at our Cristo Rey Counseling Center helps mothers overcome mental health and substance use disorders and live healthy, fulfilled lives for themselves and their children,” he added. “Yet the state is on a mission to shut us down, not because of any complaint or failure on our part, but simply because of our religious beliefs about the dignity of human life.”

The dispute intensified in March when state officials requested a meeting to discuss Catholic Charities’ religious beliefs and practices, according to the complaint. Several days later, the Mid-State Health Network imposed new disclosure requirements concerning family planning, reproductive health, gender “identity,” and sexual orientation.

The lawsuit alleges the requirements conflicted with Catholic Charities’ religious convictions, including its belief that human life must be protected from conception and that contraception and abortion are morally impermissible.

On May 22, the state discontinued Cristo Rey’s designation as a women’s services provider, citing the organization’s “internal policies and procedures,” according to the complaint. Catholic Charities alleges state officials did not identify any problem with the center’s treatment, performance, or compliance with applicable standards. 

The “[d]efendants’ actions reflect a pattern of religious targeting: arbitrary government power wielded to pressure a faith-based organization to abandon its beliefs in exchange for serving the public,” the complaint states.

ADF Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus said in the ADF statement that Catholic Charities is “a force for good in the Lansing region,” but officials “have targeted the ministry” because it “operates in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church.”

Galus remarked, “The Constitution forbids the government from punishing faith-based organizations in this way, which is why we’re urging the court to restore Catholic Charities’ First Amendment freedom to continue serving Lansing women and families according to its religious beliefs.”