ADF to Biden admin: You can't force employers to violate their faith
The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Matt Bowman regarding a public comment ADF attorneys submitted Monday urging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to withdraw its proposed rule that could force employers to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives and early abortion pills in violation of their religious or moral beliefs:
“No American should be forced to violate their ethical and religious beliefs about the sanctity of life and human sexuality. Every employer should enjoy this same constitutional protection, free to live and work in a manner consistent with his or her deeply held beliefs. Yet, as we explain in our written comment, the Biden administration’s proposed rule could force employers to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives and early abortion pills in contradiction to their sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions—exactly what the U.S. Supreme Court prevented in the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties case and what the previous administration made sure would not happen. This would be an illegal and gross overreach of executive power, and we urge the administration to withdraw this harmful proposal immediately. It’s critical the administration protect every American’s right to promote the common good and protect unborn life.”
Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.
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ABOUT Matt Bowman
Matt Bowman serves as senior counsel and director of regulatory practice for Alliance Defending Freedom, where he leads the team focusing on the impact of administrative law on religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and family. From 2017 to 2020, Bowman was a senior executive service appointee in the Trump administration, serving the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as Deputy General Counsel, and then in the Office for Civil Rights. Prior to joining HHS, Bowman was an accomplished litigator at ADF for over ten years. Before joining ADF in 2006, Bowman served as a law clerk for Judges Samuel A. Alito, Jr., and Michael A. Chagares, at the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and for Judge John M. Roll at the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. Bowman earned his J.D. summa cum laude and was first in his class at Ave Maria School of Law in 2003. He is a member of the bar of the District of Columbia and Michigan and is admitted to practice at the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple federal appellate and district courts.