WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court has directed a New York court to revisit the question of whether certain religious organizations in the state should be exempt from a regulation that demands health insurance plans include abortion coverage.
This decision follows a recent unanimous Supreme Court ruling that deemed Wisconsin’s actions discriminatory against a Catholic charity by requiring it to pay state unemployment taxes. This case in New York revolves around a similar issue. Currently, the state does provide exemptions for religious employers, but only if their mission is exclusively to promote religious values and if they mainly employ and serve individuals of their faith. Religious organizations that employ and serve a broader demographic, irrespective of their beliefs, are not eligible for such exemptions.
The rule has been contested by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany alongside other church-affiliated groups. This is not the first instance that the Supreme Court has referred the matter back to New York courts. Just last year, the New York Court of Appeals upheld the regulation. This decision was made in light of the Supreme Court’s unanimous 2021 ruling supporting a Catholic foster care agency in Philadelphia. The agency had refused to collaborate with same-sex couples due to religious doctrines opposing same-sex marriage.