Supreme Court Sends NY Abortion Mandate Back Again

The U.S. Supreme Court has vacated a previous New York Court of Appeals decision and ordered the state courts to reconsider whether certain religious organizations should be exempt from a mandate requiring employer-sponsored health insurance plans to cover abortions. This move comes after a recent unanimous Supreme Court ruling that Wisconsin discriminated against a Catholic charity by forcing it to pay state unemployment taxes, underscoring the importance of religious exemptions in such cases. In New York, the current exemption from the abortion mandate applies only to religious employers whose main purpose is to spread religious values and who primarily employ and serve co-religionists, excluding many groups that serve broader communities. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany and other faith-based organizations argue the exemption is too narrow and violates their religious rights. This marks the second time the Supreme Court has sent the issue back to New York courts for reconsideration. The outcome could have significant implications for the balance between religious liberty and state mandates on abortion coverage.