Archbishop Kurtz Welcomes Supreme Court Injunction for Little Sisters of the Poor Against HHS Mandate

WASHINGTON—Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville,Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) welcomedthe move by the U.S. Supreme Court, January 24, to extend an injunction grantedby Justice Sonia Sotomayor, December 31, exempting the Little Sisters of thePoor and others in their lawsuit from the Department of Health and HumanServices' contraception mandate while their appeal is pending.

"The bishops of the United States welcome the Court'sprotection of ministries like the Little Sisters whose vital work is at theheart of what it means to be Catholic," said Archbishop Kurtz.

The injunction from the Court states that if the partiesbefore it write to the Secretary of Health and Human Services that they arenon-profit organizations, that they are religious in nature, and that they objectto providing the coverage required by the HHS mandate, those employers will be protecteduntil a decision is made by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit,which is currently reviewing the case.

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Keywords: Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, USCCB, U.S. bishops,president, Supreme Court of the United States, injunction, HHS mandate,contraceptive, Little Sisters of the Poor, religious liberty

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