After multiple years of legal battles, two federal courts have definitely ruled that California cannot force churches to pay for abortions.
Back in 2014, the California healthcare department required religious organizations to provide insurance coverage for elective abortions.
Alliance Defending Freedom launched a lawsuit in 2015 on behalf of three plaintiff churches. In this case, lawyers proved Planned Parenthood pressured the department into issuing the mandate. A judge ruled in favor of these churches late last year.
But the legal firm opened a second lawsuit in 2016 on behalf of another California church. A second judge just affirmed this church’s constitutional rights were also violated by the mandate.
ADF Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus said it was a significant victory. This includes “other religious organizations that shouldn’t be ordered by the government to violate some of their deepest faith convictions.”
State officials will now pay $1.4 million toward the churches’ attorney fees after multiple years of court.