3rd Circuit to hear Christian college's case against abortion-pill mandate
ADF attorney available to media following oral arguments Wednesday
Tuesday, Nov 18, 2014
Attorney sound bite: Gregory S. Baylor
WHO: ADF Senior Counsel Gregory S. Baylor
WHAT: Available for media interviews following oral arguments in Geneva College v. Burwell
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 19, immediately following hearing, which begins at 10 a.m. EST
WHERE: James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse, 19th Floor, 601 Market St., Philadelphia
PHILADELPHIA – Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Gregory S. Baylor will be available for media interviews immediately following his oral argument Wednesday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit on behalf of Pennsylvania’s Geneva College, which filed suit in 2012 against the Obama administration’s abortion-pill mandate.
The Department of Health and Human Services mandate forces employers, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide access, through their health insurance plans, to abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy financial penalties through the IRS.
“All Americans should oppose unjust laws that force people – under threat of punishment – to give up their fundamental freedoms and act contrary to their beliefs,” said Baylor. “Geneva College is no different. It simply wants to abide by the Christian faith it espouses and teaches. The government should not punish people of faith for making decisions consistent with that faith.”
Last year, a federal district court suspended enforcement of the mandate against Geneva College’s employee and student health plans. The administration appealed those decisions to the 3rd Circuit, which consolidated the case, Geneva College v. Burwell, with two other similar cases.
PHILADELPHIA – Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Gregory S. Baylor will be available for media interviews immediately following his oral argument Wednesday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit on behalf of Pennsylvania’s Geneva College, which filed suit in 2012 against the Obama administration’s abortion-pill mandate.The Department of Health and Human Services mandate forces employers, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide access, through their health insurance plans, to abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy financial penalties through the IRS.
“All Americans should oppose unjust laws that force people – under threat of punishment – to give up their fundamental freedoms and act contrary to their beliefs,” said Baylor. “Geneva College is no different. It simply wants to abide by the Christian faith it espouses and teaches. The government should not punish people of faith for making decisions consistent with that faith.”
Last year, a federal district court suspended enforcement of the mandate against Geneva College’s employee and student health plans. The administration appealed those decisions to the 3rd Circuit, which consolidated the case, Geneva College v. Burwell, with two other similar cases.
- Fact sheet: Geneva College v. Burwell
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
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