“We hope and pray that Congress, state governments, and anti-religious freedom forces in the culture will finally recognize what the Supreme Court has long held: religious freedom is a foundational civil right, a pillar for all other civil rights, and a right the government must uphold and protect across civil society”
For Immediate Release
(Troy, MI) June 17, 2021
Christ Medicus Foundation Executive Director, Louis Brown, J.D., made the following statement regarding today’s Supreme Court decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia:
“Today’s unanimous 9-0 decision in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia is a reaffirming victory for the religious freedom rights of individuals, families, Churches, and religious institutions. In Fulton, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the City of Philadelphia violated the First Amendment when it refused to renew Catholic Social Services’ long-standing contract for adoption services because the Catholic agency would not certify married same sex couples based on the Catholic agency’s religious beliefs about marriage.
In refusing to renew Catholic Social Services’ contract, the City of Philadelphia prevented a Catholic African American woman, Ms. Fulton, and other foster parents from fostering children very much in need through Catholic Social Services, their agency of choice. The City of Philadelphia’s violation of the religious freedom rights of Catholic Social Services greatly undermined Ms. Fulton’s mission to love, care, and foster children through Catholic Social Services. The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling demonstrates that individuals, families, and religious institutions have a constitutional civil right to freely exercise their religious beliefs about marriage and family.
The Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in Fulton also strongly indicates that the Equality Act legislation, certain proposed HHS regulatory action, and other efforts to destroy the religious freedom rights of doctors, nurses, faith-based hospitals, and health care entities would be an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment right to religious liberty. We hope and pray that Congress, state governments, and anti-religious freedom forces in the culture will finally recognize what the Supreme Court has long held: religious freedom is a foundational civil right, a pillar for all other civil rights, and a right the government must uphold and protect across civil society whether in foster care, healthcare, or any other part of American life.”
PRESS CONTACT: Kathy Dempsey for Christ Medicus Foundation
202-359-4379; [email protected]