A church is now suing the state of Washington for trying to force churches to pay for elective abortions coverage in their health plans.
It’s Obamacare all over again.
Here’s more from CBN News:
The attorneys for a church in Seattle filed a federal lawsuit on Friday against Washington state officials for forcing churches to pay for elective abortions in their health insurance.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) lawyers representing Cedar Park Assembly of God, challenged the constitutionality and legality of a new state mandate that requires the Seattle-area church to fund abortion if it provides its staff members access to group health insurance.
“No church should be coerced to pay for abortions, least of all a church that dedicates its ministry to protecting and celebrating life,” ADF Legal Counsel Elissa Graves said in a press release. “Cedar Park believes and teaches that every human life begins at conception and is worthy of protection at every point until natural death.”
The bill states if churches pay for maternity coverage, they must pay for abortion coverage as well:
The church’s lawsuit challenges the constitutionality and legality of Washington State Senate Bill 6219, legislation signed into law last March. The legislation requires Cedar Park to provide coverage for abortion if the church also offers maternity care coverage to its employees, or face fines and criminal penalties, including imprisonment.
The ADF complaint explains that Cedar Park purchased a group health insurance plan in order to provide high-quality health care coverage for its employees and fulfill its legal obligations under the law.
“As part of its commitment to care for its employees and their families,” the complaint states, “Cedar Park provides comprehensive insurance coverage for maternity care. Cedar Park believes that maternity care is an integral part of its call to provide for the health of its employees and their families. Because of its religious beliefs, however, Cedar Park seeks to offer health insurance coverage to its employees in a way that does not also cause it to pay for abortions.”
It’s also not just abortion coverage that is being mandated here. Churches are forced to pay for contraception too.
Before the bill became law, Democrat state Sen. Steve Hobbs, the bill sponsor, addressed criticism from Catholic bishops that there was no exclusion for religious organizations. Hobbs simply replied that if they didn’t like it they could sue, saying this was about the woman and not about the church.
How evil.