Christians Win A Huge Victory

A federal court on Friday barred a Biden admin. regulation that would breach the religious freedom and moral convictions of many Catholic groups by requiring them to conduct or pay for transgender procedures.

According to the filing, the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a lower court in North Dakota’s grant of permanent injunctive relief to stop the requirement because “intrusion upon the Catholic Plaintiffs’ exercise of their faith is enough to show irreversible damage.”

According to National Review, the decision echoes a previous case in Texas last Aug., when the Fifth Circuit court forever blocked the Biden government’s mandate requiring thousands of doctors associated with Christian medical groups to provide so-called gender-confirming treatment to transgender people.

According to the National Review, lawyer Luke Goodrich of the Becket Fund, which represented a group of Catholic nuns, health clinics, and a college, told the media that the non-profit law group now has two separate federal courts of appeals permanently barring the Biden administration from “compelling religious physicians and hospitals to conduct gender transitions in breach of their conscience.”

According to Goodrich, the judgement protects patients and permits doctors to uphold their pledge to “do no harm.”

“The federal govt. has no business compelling physicians to violate their moral beliefs or conduct controversial operations that may irreparably injure their patients,” said Goodrich in a statement.

The court’s ruling is based on an interpretation of the Affordable Care Act’s Section 1557 and Title VII by an Obama administration Health and Human Resources Dept. and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and how implementing it contradicts with the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

According to the Obama administration official’s understanding, doctors across the country would be required to perform transgender procedures notwithstanding their professional opinion or moral objections.

“A gynecological services provider who previously refused to deliver a medically needed hysterectomy for a transgender man would be required to alter its policy to provide the treatment for transgender people in the same way it does for other people.” The rule states.

In 2020, the Trump admin. sought to abolish the rule. According to Reuters, federal courts stopped the attempt.

According to Bloomberg Law, government authorities contended during an oral argument that religious groups lacked standing to contest the regulation. However, plaintiffs’ counsel stated that breaking the Affordable Care Act clause would subject them to real threats from federal health authorities and commissions.

According to National Review, despite Biden’s team’s objection to the plaintiff’s contention that the rule would be applied against them since they had not had the chance to attempt yet, the Eighth Circuit court justices concluded the reasoning amounted to a “concession that they may do so.”

Goodrich added to the National Review report that, despite the Biden admin’s choices of seeking another hearing from the Eighth Circuit or filing an appeal with the United States Supreme Court, he doubts they would “consider pursuing either of these options,” given officials’ refusal to try either after the Fifth Circuit’s unfavorable ruling.

Although the plaintiffs would continue to offer medical care to transgender people, they feel gender-transition operations are harmful.

According to Sister Petra Nielsen of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration, a company board member of the Franciscan Alliance, the organization aspires to “carry on Jesus Christ’s healing ministry by offering the greatest possible care to each and every individual who comes through our doors.”

“We’re simply asking the courts to allow us to continue caring for all of our patients with joy and compassion — as we have for over 145 years,” she explained.