The sisters’ refusal comes from a deeply held religious conviction which requires them to protect innocent human life. If they furnish medical insurance under ACA requirements, they will be providing drugs which extinguish or prevent the formation of life in the womb. By doing so they would be forced to violate their religious beliefs. The 181-year-old religious order, the Little Sisters of the Poor—unlikely litigants before the high court—finally got a victory. For over six years this charitable order has had to defend itself against the federal government under the Obama administration and, more recently, against dogged state administrations in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Now, the court has awarded the nuns a victory. Why have there been years of litigation on this matter? Simply put, governments (state and federal) have insisted that the sisters must provide contraceptives—including abortion-inducing drugs—in the health plans they offer to their employees. The Little Sisters (these nuns take a vow of chastity) and other religious entities have refused to comply since 2014, repeatedly facing the threat of huge, destructive fines under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The sisters’ refusal comes from a deeply held religious conviction which requires them to protect innocent human life. […]
