Supreme Court to hear from faith-based nonprofits

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments March 23 from faith-based nonprofits, including the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) insurance provider, GuideStone Financial Resources, claiming an Obamacare requirement violates their religious beliefs.

Some of the plaintiffs, such as the Catholic order Little Sisters of the Poor, oppose all forms of birth control. Others — like GuideStone, Truett-McConnell College in Cleveland, Georgia; East Texas Baptist University in Marshall; Houston Baptist University in Texas; and Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee — object to methods of birth control that take effect after the moment of conception.

The Department of Health and Human Services seeks to accommodate faith-based charities by allowing them to opt out of contraceptive coverage in their own health care plans. The lawsuits say the opt-out provision forces religious nonprofits to act in violation of their beliefs because “self-certification” would trigger the third-party coverage of “immoral” drugs.

(BNG)