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CV NEWS FEED // A district judge in Oregon ruled September 30 that Oregon Right to Life is required to cover abortions in its employees’ healthcare insurance plan, dismissing the pro-life organization’s argument that it is a religious organization exempted from the pro-abortion law.
U.S. District Judge Ann Aiken stated in her ruling that ORTL does not fit inside the category of “religious employer” under the state’s Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA), as it does not mainly or exclusively serve individuals of the same religion.
“Plaintiff does not qualify as a ‘religious employer’ under the RHEA because ‘its purpose is prolife advocacy, not inculcating religious values, and it doesn’t primarily serve persons sharing its religious tenets,’” Aiken wrote.
Aiken also stated that “Other than a fleeting reference to ‘Judeo-Christian ethics,’ there is nothing in the articles of incorporation that would suggest any religious element in [ORTL].”
ORTL filed the lawsuit against Oregon’s insurance commissioner in 2023 to challenge RHEA. The 2017 law requires employers to cover abortions and contraceptives in their healthcare plans with “extremely narrow” definitions for religious organizations that can obtain exemptions, Live Action reported.
ORTL and its legal representatives, Bopp Law Firm, opposed the ruling in a news release.
“This ruling will not dissuade ORTL from continuing to fight this unconstitutional Mandate — we plan to promptly appeal the decision,” said James Bopp Jr., counsel for ORTL. “In addition, we plan on asking the judge to put a hold on Oregon’s Mandate pending that appeal. We are confident the court of appeals will agree that the Mandate should be put on hold.”
ORTL executive director Lois Anderson called RHEA “clearly unconstitutional and unjust.”
“Regardless of where they stand on the abortion issue, I think most people would agree it’s absurd on its face to mandate that a pro-life organization pay for abortions — yet this is exactly what current Oregon law does,” she stated. “Because we’re committed to defending the vulnerable and pushing back against injustice, we’re not about to back down. We have an excellent legal team and the Constitution on our side, and I am confident we will prevail.”
