This week, Joe Biden has officially lost his legal battle that tried to force Christian Pro-Life doctors to kill babies through abortion.
Wednesday, the Biden administration chose not to appeal a federal court ruling that prohibits the government from forcing religious doctors and hospitals to carry out abortions and controversial gender-transition procedures against their beliefs and professional medical judgment.
Christian medical leaders raised concerns about a new pro-abortion mandate imposed by the Biden administration, which had the potential to shut down Christian healthcare across the United States. Officials from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services had planned to revoke a rule established during the Trump administration, which protected Pro-Life medical workers from being obligated to terminate unborn babies in elective abortions or perform transgender procedures.
On August 26, 2022, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the Biden abortion mandate, ruling that religious doctors cannot be compelled to conduct procedures such as abortion that contradict their beliefs.
In another case, a coalition consisting of Catholic hospitals, a Catholic university, and Catholic nuns running health clinics for the elderly and disadvantaged sued the federal government to halt the mandate. A federal court found the mandate unlawful and permanently blocked its enforcement. When the Biden administration appealed this decision, the Eighth Circuit upheld the lower court’s ruling.
Yesterday, the Biden administration allowed the final deadline for appealing to the Supreme Court to pass, effectively ending this harmful and unlawful mandate.
“After multiple defeats in court, the federal government has conceded on its controversial and medically unsupported transgender mandate,” stated Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at Becket. “Doctors take a solemn oath to ‘do no harm,’ and they cannot uphold that oath if the federal government forces them to perform harmful, irreversible procedures against their conscience and medical expertise.”
“These religious doctors and hospitals provide crucial care to patients in need, including millions of dollars’ worth of free and low-cost care for the elderly, poor, and underserved,” added Goodrich. “This is a victory for patients, conscience, and common sense.”
This marks Becket’s second successful challenge to the abortion/transgender mandate. In Franciscan Alliance v. Becerra, Becket defended a religious hospital network sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations. Becket achieved a victory for its clients in the Fifth Circuit, and the Biden Administration also chose not to appeal that decision to the Supreme Court.
The government’s deadline for appealing the case to the Supreme Court was June 20.
In response to this news, Pro-Life leaders criticized the Biden administration for attempting to force hardworking Americans to choose between practicing their beliefs and being able to support their families.
“Doctors, nurses, and other medical providers should have the same constitutional protection, allowing them to live and work in accordance with their faith,” stated Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Matt Bowman. “Yet the Biden administration’s proposed rule would leave healthcare professionals in a position where they are forced to carry out medical procedures that directly contradict their religious beliefs, or risk losing their jobs.”
Abortion advocates, however, expressed support for the Biden mandate. Jacqueline Ayers, the senior vice president of policy, organizing, and campaigns for Planned Parenthood, stated to Politico that they were excited about the new rule introduced by the Biden administration. Misrepresenting the issue, she criticized conscience protections as “discriminatory.”
“As state politicians continue to restrict people’s sexual and reproductive rights and freedoms, it is essential for the Biden-Harris administration to revoke this discriminatory policy and ensure that individuals can access the healthcare and information they need when they need it,” Ayers remarked. “We eagerly await the details of the new rule and view this as a step forward.”
In reality, the real discrimination lies in forcing doctors and nurses to perform abortions or risk losing their jobs, and Pro-Life advocates are urging the president to withdraw his plan.
“This is an illegal and gross overreach of executive power, and we urge the administration to withdraw this harmful proposal immediately,” Bowman states.
Pro-Life leaders feared Biden would work to dismantle religious freedom for Pro-Life medical workers after his administration dropped a lawsuit last year defending a Pro-Life nurse who allegedly was forced into aborting an unborn baby. The Vermont nurse said she was tricked into helping with an elective abortion even though the doctors knew her objections; she said they told her she would be helping treat a miscarriage.
We praise God for this victory for Christian Pro-Life doctors across the nation. The enemy continues to attack the Pro-Life cause, as he has for decades, but the Lord always prevails! Texas Right to Life is thankful for all of our Pro-Life healthcare workers!