Judge blocks Biden’s Mandate Requiring Christian Employers to Cover ‘Trans’ Surgeries

A federal court has placed a temporary block on the enforcement of a Biden Administration mandate requiring an alliance of Christian employers to pay for or provide health plans that cover gender transition surgeries.

Judge Daniel Traynor of the U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota issued an order last week granting the Christian Employers Alliance (CEA), an organization that provides support to Christian businesses and nonprofits, a preliminary injunction on grounds the mandate would “irreparably harm” the Christian group.

Last October, the CEA filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), seeking to block the enforcement of the mandate that requires coverage of trans-affirming counseling and medical services that violate the beliefs of its members.

At issue were two mandates from the EEOC and HHS interpreting Title VII civil rights discrimination protections based on “sex” to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

“The Alliance must either violate its sincerely held beliefs or face monetary losses, fines, and even civil liabilities.  The Plaintiffs and their members face a very real irreparable harm if they are either forced to comply or if they refuse to comply,” wrote Traynor, a Trump appointee.

CEA has already shown it faces an injury.  Absent a preliminary injunction, CEA and its members will be forced to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs or incur severe monetary penalties.”

The CEA is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal group that has successfully argued religious liberty cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. ADF Legal Counsel Jacob Reed said in a statement that he believes the “court was on firm ground to halt enforcement of these unlawful mandates that disrespect people of faith.”  “All employers and healthcare providers, including those in the Christian Employers Alliance, have the constitutional right to conduct their business and render treatment in a manner consistent with their deeply held religious beliefs,” Reed said.

 

Rev. Dr. Kenneth L. Beale, Jr.

Chaplain (Colonel-Ret), U.S. Army

Pastor, Ft. Snelling Memorial Chapel