Relief From the “Contraceptive Mandate”
Because of the Affordable Care Act and an Executive Order from President Obama to the Health and Human Services (HHS), Churches and religious organizations were mandated to supply contraceptives for those who received employee provided health care from those institutions.
For some, this was contrary to their long held religious beliefs. In the court case of Little Sisters of the Poor v. Price, the Catholic organization was forced to provide contraceptive care to employees according to a ruling of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. However, on May 5, 2017 the United States Supreme Court overturned the lower court’s ruling and found in favor for the Little Sisters of the Poor.
Another Win for Religious Liberty
Little Sisters of the Poor had never sought to prevent employees from obtaining contraception—they just did not want to be forced by the government to provide it in insurance funded by the organization.
In addition to the Higher Court’s ruling in favor of the Catholic ran organization, President Trump issued an executive order demanding the HHS to protect all religious institutions from the HHS Contraceptive Mandate.
Good News for Churches and Religious Entities
For the past several years Churches and Religious Institutions have come under fire with multiple lawsuits attacking the very Christian thread upon which this nation was founded. Christian Liberty was the very first right protected within the Constitution, yet one by one we saw agnostics and liberals chipping away at our religious freedom.
With the Supreme Court ruling and our President’s Executive Order, not only must HHS stop enforcing those mandates on us, but other government entities must follow suit and cease their attacks on us because of what we believe.
We Are Not Out of the Woods Yet
There are other cases before the Supreme Court at the time of this writing that still need our prayers. One of those is the case of the cake baker in Colorado who was forced to bake a cake, face fines, and/ or having to close his bakery simply because he chose to exercise his religious beliefs. Since Hobby Lobby won their similar case on Individual Liberty we are in hopes that the Court will find in favor of the Colorado baker.
How We Can Protect Your Church or Ministry
Chitwood & Chitwood has been protecting Churches for more than 79 years. We know what others do not know! We stay abreast of the latest Government regulations, especially those affecting Churches and Ministries, and therefore are on the cutting edge of ways to protect our non-profits from any adverse effects those regulations may cause.
The latest regulations are taught weekly at our Church Management and Tax Conferences across the USA. To register for the nearest one to your location visit us at www.cmtc.org or call 800-344-0076.
If a conference is not currently scheduled near you, contact us at the above number to be considered for a private conference in your city.
To be the best, retain the best. God cannot and will not bless a mess!
