Washington D.C., Apr 27, 2021 / 13:00 pm
The dioceses of Albany and Ogdensburg and other Catholic and Christian ministries last week asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their case against New York’s abortion coverage mandate.
The 2017 mandate from the state’s Department of Financial Services required that employers cover abortions in their employee health insurance plans. While the state granted a religious exemption to the rule, the groups challenging the mandate in court claim that it was too narrow and did not exempt agencies which primarily serve or employ people of different faiths.
Plaintiffs in the case include the Diocese of Albany, the Diocese of Ogdensburg, three state Catholic Charities agencies, Anglican sisters, and Baptist and Lutheran churches.
The bishop of Albany told CNA that the state’s mandate affects not only Catholics, but members of other faiths as well.