CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- In the wake of the Supreme Court\u2019s decision to uphold the 2010 health care law, a leading religious freedom law firm has new confidence in the future of its lawsuits against the federal contraception mandate.<\/p>\n\tHannah Smith, senior counsel at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, explained that the arguments against the law that were recently rejected by the court are \u201cseparate and distinct legal challenges\u201d from those being brought against the contraception mandate.<\/p>\n
\tIn a June 28 press call shortly after the Supreme Court announced its ruling, Smith said that in this case, the court was not asked to review the religious liberty issues surrounding the contraception mandate.<\/p>\n
\tRather, its decision dealt solely with the overarching law itself, particularly a requirement that virtually everyone must buy health insurance and a provision dealing with the expansion of Medicaid.<\/p>\n
\tThe high court upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by a vote of 5-4, but did not rule on the contraception mandate, a separate requirement issued by the Department of Health and Human Services under the authority of the act.<\/p>\n
\tThis controversial mandate will require employers to offer health insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization and early abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences. Failure to comply will result in crippling fines.<\/p>\n
\tThe mandate has been criticized by members of various religions and political affiliations, including bishops from every diocese of the U.S., who warned that it could force Catholic hospitals, schools and charitable agencies to close down.<\/p>\n
\tMore than 50 plaintiffs \u2013 including nonprofit organizations, Catholic dioceses, religious universities and private business owners \u2013 have filed lawsuits against the mandate, arguing that it violates the religious liberty of individuals and organizations that object to its requirements.<\/p>\n
\tIf the court had struck down the health care law, the mandate would have disappeared by default. Since it did not, Smith explained, the legal battles will move forward, untouched.<\/p>\n
\tHowever, she said, two statements in the June 28 decision hint at what the court\u2019s future ruling on the contraception mandate could be.<\/p>\n
\tShe pointed to the majority opinion, penned by Chief Justice John Roberts, which states, \u201cEven if the taxing power enables Congress to impose a tax on not obtaining health insurance, any tax must still comply with other requirements in the Constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe opinion of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Elena Kagan, was even more explicit, she said.<\/p>\n
\tGinsberg wrote, \u201cA mandate to purchase a particular product would be unconstitutional if, for example, the edict impermissibly abridged the freedom of speech, interfered with the free exercise of religion, or infringed on a liberty interest protected by the Due Process Clause.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThe direct mention of religious freedom as a reason to find such a mandate unconstitutional is a hopeful sign in the battle over the contraception requirement, Smith said.<\/p>\n
\tShe explained that these two statements are \u201cessential\u201d in suggesting that the court may strike down the contraception mandate if asked to rule on it, a positive indication for defenders of religious freedom.<\/p>\n
\tMark Rienzi, law professor at The Catholic University of America and senior counsel at the Becket Fund, added that it is \u201ccommonplace\u201d for courts to find a regulation unconstitutional even when the law under which it was issued is constitutionally acceptable.<\/p>\n
\tThe Becket Fund, a non-profit law firm that works to protect religious freedom for all people, has paved the way in challenging the mandate, representing four different clients in filing lawsuits against it.<\/p>\n
\tIn a statement shortly after the ruling, Smith explained that the Becket Fund\u2019s lawsuits will continue making their way through the court system.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cNever in history has there been a mandate forcing individuals to violate their deeply held religious beliefs or pay a severe fine, a fine which could force many homeless shelters, charities, and religious institutions to shut their doors,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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