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Two Blue States Put Little Sisters of the Poor Back in Obamacare Crosshairs

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The Little Sisters of the Poor are again the target of lawsuits over the contraception mandate in Obamacare.

Even though the Trump Administration has exempted religious non-profits from the mandate, which requires organizations to provide birth control for their employees, two states are challenging the rule.

The attorneys general of California and Pennsylvania argue that the administration is illegally limiting women's access to birth control.

The Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic group, don't want to have to cover abortion drugs or other forms of contraception in their employee health insurance plans. 

However, even though the case directly impacts them, Pennsylvania successfully won a court order that keeps the Little Sisters from joining the case to defend their rights which goes to trial on Thursday, Dec. 14.

"We've told the court that the states are trying to decide the Little Sisters' rights without the Little Sisters being in the courtroom, and that's wrong. (The courts) need to let (the Little Sisters) intervene in the case and let them defend their rights," said Lori Windham, senior counsel with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit, public-interest legal and educational institute.

In the state of California the Little Sisters were able to attend the trial which took place on Tuesday. They were also represented by Becket.

"Women like the Little Sisters of the Poor do not need more bureaucrats pushing them around. They should be allowed their day in court to argue for their rights, and they should be allowed to practice their faith in peace," said Mark Rienzi, senior counsel at Becket and lead attorney for the Little Sisters of the Poor.  

Oral argument took place in federal district court in Oakland, California to decide if the protection for the Little Sisters will stand, and whether the Little Sisters will be allowed to defend it in this court. A decision is likely by the end of the year, according to Becket. 

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About The Author

Caitlin Burke Headshot
Caitlin
Burke

Caitlin Burke serves as National Security Correspondent and a general assignment reporter for CBN News. She has also hosted the CBN News original podcast, The Daily Rundown. Some of Caitlin’s recent stories have focused on the national security threat posed by China, America’s military strength, and vulnerabilities in the U.S. power grid. She joined CBN News in July 2010, and over the course of her career, she has had the opportunity to cover stories both domestically and abroad. Caitlin began her news career working as a production assistant in Richmond, Virginia, for the NBC affiliate WWBT