The Biden administration has agreed to pay $210,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs to conclude a lawsuit brought by Alliance Defending Freedom on behalf of Christian Employers Alliance (CEA).
The lawsuit challenged the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Health and Human Services’ attempt to force religious employers to pay for or perform “transgender” medical interventions. CEA sued the EEOC and HHS over these policies in 2021.
EEOC had interpreted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to “force religious non-profit and for-profit employers to pay for and provide health plans or health insurance coverage to their employees that cover gender transition surgeries, procedures, counseling, and treatments.”
Additionally, HHS issued a rule in 2016 interpreting Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act to “force religious healthcare providers to perform gender transition surgeries, procedures, counseling, and treatments in violation of their medical judgement and religious beliefs.”
But earlier this year, a North Dakota federal court ruled that the EEOC and HHS could not force religious employers to violate their beliefs in this way.
The $210,000 settlement was agreed to as a part of a stipulated dismissal finalized on September 24, 2024, bringing CEA’s lawsuit to a successful conclusion.
As the Daily Citizen has previously written, “CEA is a membership organization that equips and represents ‘Christian owned businesses to protect religious freedom and provide the opportunity for employees, businesses, and communities to flourish.’ Membership includes for-profit and nonprofit Christian businesses and ministries.”
The organization “challenges laws and regulations hostile to religious freedom on behalf of Christian businesses” and provides a voice for “Christian business leaders to Capitol Hill, the media, and the marketplace.”
In a statement following the dismissal, ADF Senior Counsel and Director of Regulatory Practice Matt Bowman said, “All employers and health care providers, including those in the Christian Employers Alliance, have the constitutionally protected freedom to conduct their business and render treatment in a manner consistent with their deeply held religious beliefs.”
He added,
The employers we represent believe that God purposefully created humans as either male or female, and so it would violate their religious beliefs to pay for or perform life-altering medical procedures or surgeries that seek to change one’s sex. We’re pleased to favorably conclude this lawsuit on behalf of our clients and hold the administration accountable for trying to force unlawful mandates that disrespect people of faith.
CEA President Shannon Royce also celebrated the decision in a statement:
We are overjoyed our members will not have to choose between the biblically based employee benefits and quality healthcare they provide, and the threat of federal enforcement and massive costs for practicing their faith.
Congratulations to CEA for winning this important victory against the EEOC and HHS. No one – including religious employers – should be forced to violate their deeply held religious beliefs, and basic biology, in favor of radical gender ideology.
Thankfully, because of CEA’s courage, they won’t be.
The lawsuit is Christian Employers Alliance v. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Related articles and resources:
Christian Employers Alliance Wins Victory Against EEOC and HHS Transgender Mandate
Christian Employers Can’t Be Forced to Fund ‘Gender Transition,’ Federal Court Rules
Photo from Getty Images.
The post Biden Admin. Pays $210,000 For Trying to Force Religious Employers to Violate Their Beliefs appeared first on Daily Citizen.
Daily Citizen