10th US Court of Appeals = evil; with support of Obama administration they continue to relentlessly attack the Little Sisters of the Poor

Court rules against Little Sisters of the Poor

Ruling to force nuns to violate faith or pay massive IRS penalties

Photo by Bernard Grant/Denver CatholicLittle Sisters of the Poor attend oral arguments in their case against the HHS mandate in December. The court ruled July 14 that the nuns must comply with the mandate.

By Denver Catholic

July 14, 2015

Today, in a departure from the U.S. Supreme Court’s protection of the Little Sisters of the Poor last year, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the Little Sisters must comply with the government’s contraceptive mandate.
The federal Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate forces religious ministries to violate their faith or pay massive IRS penalties.
Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, Mother Provincial of the Little Sisters of the Poor, stated, “As Little Sisters of the Poor, we simply cannot choose between our care for the elderly poor and our faith. And we should not have to make that choice, because it violates our nation’s commitment to ensuring that people from diverse faiths can freely follow God’s calling in their lives.”
The Little Sisters have served the neediest in society across the world with dignity for more than 175 years.
“All we ask is to be able to continue our religious vocation free from government intrusion,” she said.
Attorneys from The Becket Fund for Religious Freedom presented the nuns’ case in a lawsuit challenging the mandate, a part of the Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare. The nuns argued the government is forcing them to act against their religious beliefs because of its requirement to provide free contraceptives and abortion-inducing drugs to employees, or pay steep fines.

The Little Sisters care for the elderly poor. Denver Catholic File Photo

Churches are exempt from the mandate, but charitable organizations like the Little Sisters are not.
Mother Patricia Mary Metzgar, l.s.p., who oversees the Little Sisters’ Mullen Home for the Aged in Denver, has attended some of the court hearings with other nuns. The Little Sisters of Denver employ about 67 full-time employees.
Mark Rienzi, senior attorney of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and lead attorney for the Little Sisters, reacted to the ruling saying he was disappointed.
“After losing repeatedly at the Supreme Court, the government continues its unrelenting pursuit of the Little Sisters of the Poor,” he said in a statement. “It is a national embarrassment that the world’s most powerful government insists that, instead of providing contraceptives through its own existing exchanges and programs, it must crush the Little Sisters’ faith and force them to participate. Untold millions of people have managed to get contraceptives without involving nuns, and there is no reason the government cannot run its programs without hijacking the Little Sisters and their health plan.”
Rienzi is expected to appear on Fox News’ “The Kelly File” July 14 to discuss the court ruling.