CALIFORNIA CHURCHES FIGHT AGAINST STATE ABORTION COVERAGE TO CIRCUIT COURT
2,038 Views
Comments (5)
Share (14)
Print
CALIFORNIA CHURCHES FIGHT AGAINST STATE ABORTION COVERAGE TO CIRCUIT COURT
2,038 Views
Comments (5)
Share (14)
Print
I Prayed
have prayed
Three churches went before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, arguing that California is unlawfully forcing them to provide insurance coverage for abortions.
Foothill Church in Glendora, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, and The Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch argued before the circuit court last Friday in San Francisco.
The churches are being represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative law firm that has successfully argued religious liberty cases before the United States Supreme Court.
ADF Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus, who argued the case before the Ninth Circuit, said in a statement released in advance of oral arguments that the state “shouldn’t be forcing churches to pay for abortion.” . . .
In 2013, Loyola Marymount of Los Angeles and Santa Clara University dropped abortion coverage from their health insurance plans, to be in conformity with their Catholic beliefs.
In response, the California Department of Managed Health Care sent an official letter in August 2014 to Anthem Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente saying that insurance companies operating in the state could not restrict abortion coverage.
“The purpose of this letter is to remind plans that the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Knox Keene Act) requires the provision of basic healthcare services,” stated the DMHC. . . .
In response to the letter, Foothill Church, Calvary Chapel, and Shepherd filed a lawsuit in October 2015 against DMHC Director Michelle Rouillard in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of California, Sacramento Division.
In March of last year, District Court Judge Kimberly J. Mueller ruled against the churches, arguing in part that they failed to show “discriminatory intent” by the state.
“… accepting as true plaintiffs’ allegation that defendant knew only religious organizations would be affected does not, without more, make it plausible that her object was to target religious employers. Rather, plaintiffs must demonstrate more than ‘awareness of consequences,’” ruled Mueller.
“Plaintiffs must plausibly plead that defendant acted ‘because of, not merely in spite of’ the impact of her actions on religious entities … and they have not done so here.”
(Excerpt from The Christian Post. Article by Michael Gryboski. Photo Credit: Getty Images.)
Share your prayers for this effort below!
Comments (5)
Share (14)
Post A Prayer
Print
I Prayed
have prayed
Post A Prayer
Related Content
Has Prayer Failed Us?
I Prayed
National Day of Prayer TODAY!
I Prayed
Partner with Us
Intercessors for America is the trusted resource for millions of people across the United States committed to praying for our nation. If you have benefited from IFA's resources and community, please consider joining us as a monthly support partner. As a 501(c)3 organization, it's through your support that all this possible.
Comments
The federal law coerces Plaintiffs to violate their religious beliefs about abortion under threat of heavy fines and penalties. This is a precedent case. It is a US Supreme Court decision with nationwide implications that can forever change the unfair law, the coercion of church’s first amendment rights and the rights of individual employers with biblical values against abortion. The Lord hates,…hands that shed innocent blood” Proverbs 6:17.
Father we come against the spiritual principalities and powers of abortion and bind them, rendering them powerless, and we implore Your divine intervention for the Fear of the Lord to fall upon the US Supreme Court to obey Your Precepts and Laws regarding the sanctity of life that the first amendment rights of churches would be upheld overruling the ninth circuit court decision to coerce abortion.
Empower with favor, wisdom, revelation knowledge the lawsuit firm, the Alliance Defending Freedom,led by Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus. Help them to prove beyond doubt that the state of CA DHS affirmed a course of action in spite of, its adverse effects upon an identifiable group Christian churches, who believe in the sanctity of life and that it would be sinful and immoral for them intentionally to pay for abortions, which destroys innocent human life.
Father expose that the Defendant (the federal government law) imposed the mandate with full knowledge that it would coerce religious employers and churches to violate their religious beliefs and grant them that these churches and all religious organizations receive injunctive relief to remedy this unjustified disregard of religious beliefs and impairment of conscience in Jesus Name, Amen.
AT WAR WE NEED A SPIRIT OF FEARLESSNESS!
Upon arising this morning I opened a devotional that my grandmother gave me forty years ago. Fearlessness in spiritual battle is needed as this court battle is not with people but spiritual forces!
“CONQUEST OF FEAR –
It is not thinking of me but DWELLING with me that brings perfect fearlessness.
There can be NO FEAR where I am.
Fear was conquered when I conquered all Satanic power.
If all my followers knew this, and affirmed it with absolute certainty,
there would be no need of armed forces to conquer evil.”
We are in the midst of a mighty spiritual battles and war.
Lord, you are our general direct us in your ways of battle to complete victory!
Amen!
“There are six things the Lord hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
hands that shed innocent blood” Proverbs 6:17
Lord God I pray that You put a burden in more people’s hearts to stand in the gap between death and life and men and women will reject abortion with all their mind, strength and soul.
You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.1 Corinthians 6:13
” but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” James 1:14-15. Abba Father we ask for Your devine intervention and may The Fear Of The Lord Fall upon us and be willing to obey Your Precepts and Laws in Jesus Name, Amen.
Lord, I pray that You will give these churches victory in the courts. Your church must rise up and fight against the murder of millions of babies! We must also be vocal about what You say about sexual immorality and encourage people to obey Your will in this. Then, for those who become pregnant and who are considering abortion, the church must step up and help them to choose life for their baby (financial help, spiritual support, adoption,…). Please give Your church wisdom in this – the lives of Your unborn children are at stake!
How can God who is the Creator of life not send judgment against those who continue to blatantly pursue the destruction of life more than 60,000,000 times in the womb?