Though he’s had plenty of opportunities to compromise on his overreaching contraceptive mandate, President Obama has defiantly refused them all. Now he’s fighting a group of nuns in US Supreme Court.
The nuns are the Little Sisters of the Poor, and they run nursing homes for the elderly. The Little Sisters argue they should not be forced to offer coverage that violates their religious convictions.
The Obama argument is astounding. The gist is that the nuns really aren’t religious enough to qualify for the church exemption. The administration backs up that position with hefty fines for the Little Sisters if they don’t cave. For example, just for their home in Denver, where there are 67 employees, it could run to $6,700 a day. That’s money the Little Sisters simply don’t have.
Hours before she rang in the New Year here in Times Square, Justice Sonia Sotomayor — one of Obama’s own picks — issued a ruling enjoining the Obama administration from enforcing its mandate on the Little Sisters, and on Friday accepted papers from both sides explaining their positions.
Mark Rienzi is a lawyer for the Becket Fund for Liberty, which is among the groups representing these sisters. He puts the case for the injunction this way: “The Obama administration seems to be handing out exemptions to its friends every five minutes,” he says. “It seems only fair that the Little Sisters not be bullied into violating their consciences or paying fines they can’t afford, at least until we have a final ruling on the merits.”
Justice Sotomayor has many options before her. Here’s hoping she comes down on the side of the angels.