Eric Rassbach |
“The government doesn’t have the right to decide what
religious beliefs are legitimate and which ones aren’t,” said Eric Rassbach, a former guest on Faith on
Trial and Deputy General Counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious
Liberty, and lead attorney for East Texas Baptist and Houston
Baptist Universities. “In its careful opinion, the Court recognized that the
government was trying to move across that forbidden line, and said “No
further!”
In its opinion, the federal court specifically rejected the
government’s argument that it evaluate the Universities’ beliefs: “The
religious organization plaintiffs have shown a sincerely held religious belief
that the court cannot second-guess.”
The decision is part of a recent groundswell of
cases decided against the government. In nine of the twelve cases decided thus
far, federal district courts across the country have issued injunctions against
the mandate.
“The government has enforced the health care reform law very
unevenly, handing out exemptions to those it sees as its allies,” stated Rassbach. “Perhaps the
worst part of the government’s approach is that it seems to have decided that
religious institutions are the only ones not to get an exemption.”
Also participating as plaintiff in the case is Westminster Theological Seminary, a
Reformed Protestant seminary based in Philadelphia. Westminster is represented
by Kenneth Wynne of Wynne & Wynne, LLP.
To date, there are currently 89 lawsuits challenging
the unconstitutional HHS mandate. Two HHS mandate cases involving for-profit
plaintiffs – Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood – are set to be argued
before the Supreme Court in March.
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