FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 16, 2016
Contact: Leslie Palma
347-286-7277
NEW YORK – Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, today expressed thanks to the many groups and individuals who have filed amicus curiae (Friend of the Court) briefs in support of the Supreme Court case, Zubik vs. Burwell, among which Priests for Life vs. HHS is one of the seven consolidated cases challenging the Obamacare HHS mandate.
“It’s humbling and gratifying that more than 400 people and organizations have taken the time and effort to draft and file ‘friend of the court’ briefs in support of one of the most important cases on religious freedom to reach the Supreme Court,” said Fr. Pavone. “When our lawyers stand before the Court on March 23, they will have the intellectual, moral, and spiritual support of these legal, academic, and religious leaders who stand with us in this profound battle.”
The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in this case on Wednesday, March 23. At issue is the bureaucratic regulation requiring religious non-profit groups to make available to their employees abortifacients, contraceptives, and procedures for sterilization. Priests for Life was the first of the petitioners currently before the Court to file a lawsuit against the regulation.
“We thank all who are standing with us, including the 207 members of the United States House and Senate, former U.S. Attorneys General, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Eternal Word Television Network, law professors, the Knights of Columbus, Orthodox Jewish rabbis, and representatives of Islam and other religions, just to name a few.
“All of these friends of the court are declaring with us that government should never force believers to choose between following their faith and following the law. As our own brief to the court states, government might disagree with our beliefs, but cannot disregard them,” Fr. Pavone concluded.
All of the “amicus curiae” or friend of the court briefs that have been filed in support of Priests for Life and the other plaintiffs may be found here.
Priests for Life is the nation’s largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.