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Missouri Right to Life and National Right to Life Praises U.S. Supreme Court Decision for Upholding the Right of Conscience in Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania
“Today, the Little Sisters of the Poor, and people of faith won the right to not be forced to participate in abortion. The Little Sisters of the Poor have fought a long battle to protect their right of conscience. This battle was unjustly inflicted on them and other people of faith by the Obama administration and abortion supporters. 

The U.S. Supreme Court has made multiple decisions over the past several weeks, some good, some not good. These decisions have shown us the importance of appointing justices that will stand on the strict interpretation of the Constitution to protect our right to life and liberty. 

President Trump’s appointees have risen to fight for the truth and decide what is right, not just look at man-made precedence. We need more Trump appointed justices to protect us from the abortion industry. 

Abortion supporters want abortion on demand at anytime, anywhere, for any reason and they want nothing or no one to stand in their way. We will not stop fighting for the right to life of all innocent human beings. 

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court justices decided on the right of conscience and for that we are grateful, said Susan Klein, Executive Director of Missouri Right to Life
National Right to Life issued the following statement:

WASHINGTON, D.C.— The U.S. Supreme Court this morning ruled in favor of the Little Sisters of the Poor in a decision that protected the elderly nuns’ right of conscience. The vote was 7-2 with Justice Clarence Thomas writing the opinion of the Court.
 
President Trump’s appointees Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Gorsuch joined Chief Justice Roberts andJustice Alitoin the majority opinion offered by Justice Thomas. Justices Kagan and Breyer concurred with the Court’s judgment with Justice Kagan writing a concurring opinion joined by Justice Breyer.
 
“One of our most fundamental rights is the right to the free exercise of our beliefs and that these beliefs are not trampled by government overreach,”said CarolTobias, president of National Right to Life.“We are pleased that the U.S. Supreme Court recognized the importance of protecting conscience rights.”
 
The case against the Little Sisters of the Poor is part of a long-standing attempt by pro-abortion groups and their allies, going back decades, to chip away at conscience rights protections. The Supreme Court heard a vigorous debate over whether these Catholic nuns, and others with religious and moral objections, are bound by a mandate issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under a provision of ObamaCare. The mandate would force them to provide health insurance coverage for products and procedures they find “morally unacceptable.”
 
Following a favorable decision for conscience rights by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016, a new rule was issued in 2017by HHSto protect the religious and conscience rights of entities and organizations such as the Little Sisters of the Poor. However, a handful of states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, secured a nationwide injunction from the 3rd Circuit blocking the HHS rule.The Trump Administration asked the High Court to reverse.
 
"Pro-abortion groups and their allies would be happy to see conscience rights crushed and the personal beliefs of millions of Americans violated in pursuit of policies that would force employers or health care plansto pay for procedures such as abortions,”said Tobias.
 
In their “Blueprint for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice” released in June 2019, 75 pro-abortion groups and their allies called for the removal of policies, laws, and appropriations amendments that currently protect conscience rights. For example, the Blueprint calls for gutting the Religious Freedom Restoration Act by removing protections for the free exercise of conscience in situations involving “reproductive rights,” a phrase used by pro-abortion groups to include abortion on demand.
 
One of the many protective amendments these groups want to see stripped from the annual Health and Human Services appropriations bill is the Weldon Amendment. The Weldon Amendment prevents funds from going to states that would discriminate against health care entities because they do not pay for or provide coverage for abortion. In the Blueprint, these groups argue that the “Weldon Amendment prioritizes a provider’s personal beliefs” and demand that Congress:
 
  • Abolish “the so-called ‘HHS Office of Conscience and Religious Freedom,’ which carries out discriminatory policies such as the Weldon Amendment.”

  • “Remove the Weldon amendment from the annual budget, and Congress should pass a Labor-HHS spending bill that is free of this rider.”
 
“Pro-abortion groupshave proven time and time again that their goal is abortion on demand at anytime, anywhere, and nothing should stand in the way, including the conscience rights of Americans,”said Tobias.
Missouri Right to Life is the Missouri Affiliate of National Right to Life