Individual mandate upheld; religious freedom remains undecided

Manhattan Declaration, June 28, 2012

By now, you know that the Supreme Court voted to uphold President Obama’s health care law in a 5-4 decision, with Chief Justice John
Roberts providing the decisive swing vote. President Obama responded quickly, urging “it’s time for us to move forward.”

Though the ruling does indeed provide the final word on the constitutionality of certain provisions of the law, including the crucial “individual mandate,” we must remember what it does not say. Today’s decision says nothing about the contraception mandate, nor does it address the question of abortion funding. Lawsuits on these specific questions continue to make their way through the justice system.

Had the law been struck down these questions would be moot. But now, more than ever, advocates of life and the rights of religious conscience must pray for justice and support our partners in the legal battle. Here are three resources:

The Alliance Defense Fund has created a page of resources to better understand the implications of Obamacare. Visit http://www.alliancedefensefund.org/obamacare.

The Becket Fund is partnering with Catholic and evangelical institutions suing the administration, including Belmont Abbey College and Colorado
Christian University. Becket has created HHS Information Central with cases, maps, a timeline, and other resources.

The Colson Center has developed a page with regular updates on the religious liberty questions still in play.

The Manhattan Declaration is a non-partisan statement of conscience in defense of human life, traditional marriage and religious freedom.