Federal Judge Rules Biden Administration Can't Force Christian Employers to Pay for Trans Surgeries

A federal judge in North Dakota ruled on Monday that the Biden administration cannot compel Christian employers and healthcare providers to pay for transgender surgeries and other procedures.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor ruled in favor of the Christian Employers Alliance, which had challenged the administration’s interpretation of federal discrimination law. Traynor, a Trump nominee, said the Christian groups were protected under religious liberty protections from being forced to provide “gender transition services.”

In contrast, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Health and Human Services — under Biden in 2021 — said they interpreted the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) as requiring employer health insurance plans to cover surgeries and other procedures related to so-called "gender transitions."

Traynor countered that the Christian Employers Alliance’s “religious beliefs are substantially burdened by the monetary penalties it faces for refusing to violate its beliefs.” (Emphasis, mine.)

Here, CEA’s sincerely held religious belief is that male and female are immutable realities defined by biological sex and that gender reassignment is contrary to Christian Values. As a result, performing or providing health care coverage for gender transition services under the EEOC and HHS coverage mandates impinges upon CEA’s beliefs. CEA must either comply with the EEOC and HHS mandates by violating their sincerely held religious beliefs or else face harsh consequences like paying fines and facing civil liability.

As I wrote those last two paragraphs, I thought, on one hand, about how pleasantly surprised I was by the federal court's ruling, given the reality of life in Joe Biden's America. Yet, on the other hand, how tragic it is that this country has reached the point that even the basic rights of sincerely held religious beliefs should be challenged by federal government mandates in violation of those sincere beliefs.

Christian Employers Alliance President Shannon Royce said of the ruling:

We are overjoyed our members will not have to choose between the biblically based employee benefits and quality healthcare they provide, and the threat of federal enforcement and massive costs for practicing their faith.

Senior Counsel and Director of Regulatory Practice Matt Bowman of Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented the group, praised the judge's decision.

All employers and healthcare providers, including those in the Christian Employers Alliance, have the constitutionally protected freedom to conduct their business and render treatment in a manner consistent with their deeply held religious beliefs.
The employers we represent believe that God purposefully created humans as either male or female, and so it would violate their religious beliefs to pay for or perform life-altering medical procedures or surgeries that seek to change one’s sex.

Amen.

The Bottom Line

When society reaches the point where even its fundamental religious beliefs are threatened by a federal government that believes some groups have more rights than others (see: George Orwell's "Animal Farm"), that society is in an ominous place.

Let's hope the light ahead is indeed the light — not an oncoming train.

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