Catholic Benefits Association Praises Trump Administration for Religious Exemption from Contraceptive Mandate, But Does So with 'Mixed Emotions'
WASHINGTON, Oct.6, 2017 /
Christian Newswire/ -- The Catholic Benefits Association CEO, Doug Wilson, said today "we are grateful to the Trump Administration for issuing the interim final rule that acknowledges, as have many courts, that the contraceptive and abortifacient mandate burdens the religious exercise of many and that the government lacks a compelling reason for this." The CBA's Chairman, Archbishop William Lori, agreed: "Respect for the religious freedom is what the United States is about. The regulation issued today honors this value. This is a great victory for our First Freedom."
"That being said," Wilson explained, "we have mixed emotions. The Supreme Court ordered the parties to seek a settlement of the lawsuits filed by the faith community to protect their religious liberty. After five years of litigation, the CBA and other litigants have, in good faith, spent many hours trying to reach that settlement.
"The new regulation means that the CBA and other plaintiffs have prevailed in their lawsuits. Some within the Department of Justice, however, have refused to resolve the cases in a manner consistent with this reality. This resistance, at odds with the regulation issued today, means that the government and the other parties will proceed with litigation that will prove to be a waste of government resources.
"The thousand-plus Catholic employers within the Catholic Benefits Association thank the Trump Administration for the regulation it has issued today. They also continue to call upon it to direct its attorneys to act consistently with regulation by promptly resolving the pending lawsuits."
Direct Inquiries to:
Catholic Benefits Association
L. Martin Nussbaum
General Counsel
mnussbaum@lrrc.com
