Arizona law will allow ‘religiously-affiliated employers’ to opt out of contraception mandate

Religious freedom advocates had a minor win over the Obama administration in Arizona last week.

On Friday Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed legislation allowing religious employers to opt-out of the Health and Human Services (HHS) contraception mandate. Organizations that opt-out will still have to provide contraception to individuals who request if for medical reasons and will  not be allowed to question what those reasons are, however.

“In its final form, this bill is about nothing more than preserving the religious freedom to which we are all Constitutionally-entitled,” Brewer said in a press release.  “Mandating that a religious institution provide a service in direct contradiction with its faith would represent an obvious encroachment upon the 1st Amendment.”

According to the press release Arizona already allowed religious organizations to opt-out of similar mandates. The new law simply “expands the definition of a ‘religiously-affiliated employer’ to include any organization whose articles of incorporation explicitly state a religiously-motivated purpose, and whose religious beliefs play a fundamental role in its function.”

Meaning, the new law will only affect a handful of organizations, but it will provide cover to those that become targets of the Obama administration’s new mandate.

“Let’s not forget why we’re having this discussion: It’s ObamaCare that created this issue by forcing church-affiliated employers and non-profits to offer services in violation of their religious faith,” states Brewer in the release. “With this common sense bill, we can ensure that Arizona women have access to the health services they need and religious institutions have their faith and freedom protected.”

 

 

 

 

By /// May 14, 2012
Francesca Chambers About Francesca Chambers

Francesca is the Editor of Red Alert Politics - an online publication written by and for young conservatives. Red Alert Politics is a product of Clarity Media Group, the parent company of The Washington Examiner and The Weekly Standard. She is also a contributor to The Washington Examiner.

Francesca is a veteran of several political campaigns and political organizations. She has also worked in new media and communications at The Leadership Institute, at the Republican National Committee and on Capitol Hill. She has been featured as a speaker at Leadership Institute, Cato Institute, Americans for Prosperity's "Defending the American Dream Summit," the State Policy Network's annual conference and CPAC, in addition to appearing as a regular guest on the "Big Picture" with Thom Hartmann on Russia Today.

She has also appeared on ABC's "Nightline", PBS' 'NewsHour', PBS' "To the Contrary", MSNBC, CNN, on TheBlazeTV (aka Glenn Beck TV) and had radio segments on Take Action News with David Shuster, NPR and "The Michael Koolidge Show."

In 2012 she was named to the DC GOP's first ever "35 under 35" list.

Francesca graduated from the University of Kansas with BAs in Political Science and Journalism. At KU she was an editor of the University Daily Kansan and an active member of Student Senate.

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