From Missouri Catholic Conference:
Federal Judge Strikes Down Religious Liberty Bill: Will Attorney General Koster Appeal?
On March 14th, Judge Audrey Fleissig, a St. Louis Federal district court judge, struck down portions of Missouri law protecting the conscience rights of those objecting to paying for contraceptive coverage and abortion drugs in their health plans.
Her order attacks the conscience rights and religious liberty of all Missouri citizens, including those that worked to pass SB 749 and that courageously overrode Governor Jay Nixon's veto in September 2012.
Her order was overbroad and would appear to amend current Missouri law. She invalidated the Missouri exemptions for religious employers saying they are preempted by federal law.
Attorney General Chris Koster's office vigorously defended this statute in court. However, despite the efforts made by his office, and the decisions of other federal judges that the contraceptive mandate violates religious liberty, Judge Fleissig entered an order that was even broader than what was asked for.
Now is the time for Attorney General Koster to show courage and leadership in protecting the religious liberty of all Missourians. Judge Fleissig's order needs to be appealed. Will he step up and do it? He needs to hear from you today!
What You Can Do
- Contact Attorney General Koster and ask him to appeal this overreaching judicial order:
(573) 751-3321
attorney.general@ago.mo.gov
- Forward this information to friends and family members.
- Report back to the MCC on what Attorney General Koster is saying.
The Message/Talking points
- Please appeal Judge Fleissig's order
- Her order overreaches and will effectively violate the religious liberty of Missouri citizens and employers more than the HHS mandate
- Other federal courts have protected the conscience rights of employers and her order is inconsistent with those orders.
On April 24th, over 100 finalists and their parents packed into the Fleur de Lis Room at the Cardinal Rigali Center for the Respect Life Apostolate's 2013 8th grade Creative Writing Contest. The finalists were chosen from a total of 1,244 students who submitted essays for consideration.