The Little Sisters of the Poor vs. Obamacare

The Little Sisters of the Poor, an organization of Roman Catholic nuns that runs nursing homes around the country, is testing the contraceptive coverage mandate of the Affordable Care Act. Last week, we’re sorry to say, the nuns won a temporary reprieve from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

Under the law, most employers are required to provide their employees with health insurance that covers birth control. But the Obama administration agreed to a compromise for nonprofit religious groups that object to contraception, exempting them from paying for such coverage. Instead, insurers agreed to absorb the cost. All the religious organization has to do is fill out a simple form attesting to its situation.

Unfortunately, even that was too much for the Little Sisters of the Poor.

The group’s objection to filling out the form is hard to fathom, as is Sotomayor’s baffling decision to block the requirement until the case can be considered on its merits. The Little Sisters’ case hangs on the absurd argument that the simple act of filling out the form somehow represents a “substantial burden” on its exercise of religion.

The nuns also argue that if they fill out the form, thereby allowing coverage through a third party, they would in effect be encouraging someone else to sin.

That others might ultimately pay for the coverage isn’t the charity’s business.

… the stay should be lifted immediately.

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