Little Sisters of the Poor seek to restore religious exemption from contraceptive mandate
The Catholic order says the Obama-era requirement to provide contraceptive coverage conflicts with Catholic teaching and threatens the sisters’ longstanding ministry.
The Little Sisters of the Poor asked a federal appeals court July 7 to restore the Catholic order's religious exemption from the Obama-era contraceptive mandate after a federal judge invalidated the exemption last year, threatening the sisters' nearly 200-year ministry of caring for the elderly poor and dying, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty said in a July 7 press release.
The appeal seeks to reverse the ruling, which invalidated the exemption the Little Sisters first received in 2017 and that the U.S. Supreme Court upheld in 2020.
The Little Sisters have spent more than a decade challenging the Affordable Care Act, arguing it violates their religious beliefs by requiring them to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives, sterilization procedures, and abortion-inducing drugs, according to Deseret News.
Mother Loraine Marie Maguire said in the release that the order remains committed to its ministry despite the ongoing legal challenges.
“This is our God-given mission,” she said. “For nearly 200 years we have welcomed the elderly poor and dying into our homes, and with the population of seniors rapidly growing we cannot allow a government lawsuit to stop us from carrying out our mission.”
The appeal comes amid another religious liberty dispute involving Catholic women's religious orders. As Zeale News previously reported, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, who have provided palliative care to terminally ill cancer patients for more than 125 years, filed a federal lawsuit in April challenging New York's 2023 long-term care law, saying it forces them to choose between complying with the state's "gender identity" requirements and remaining faithful to Catholic teaching.
A ruling in the Little Sisters case is expected later this year. Mark Rienzi, Becket president and lead attorney, expressed confidence the Third Circuit will again uphold the order's religious protections.
“You’d think Pennsylvania and New Jersey would know better by now — but some bureaucrats are just gluttons for punishment,” Rienzi said. “We’re confident the court will deliver yet another victory protecting the Little Sisters’ ministry to the most vulnerable.”
