In a blow to progressives Wednesday, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) paved the way for the Trump administration to expand exemptions for employers who have religious or moral objections to complying with the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraceptive mandate. Currently, the law requires employer-provided health plans to cover the cost of birth control.
The question of whether or not employers who opposed birth control would have to pay for their workers’ contraceptive measures stemmed back to 2010.
The case, Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania (19-431), yielded a 7-2 decision Wednesday.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “It is clear from the face of the statute that the contraceptive mandate is capable of violating [the religious freedom laws].”
Thomas also said, “We hold that the departments had the authority to provide exemptions from the regulatory contraceptive requirements for employers with religious and conscientious objections.”