A lawsuit filed by the American Center for Law and Justice challenges the "individual mandate" in recently passed health care reform legislation. In an earlier post, I pointed out the references to religion in that bill, including some exemptions for religious objections. This suit, however, is brought by plaintiffs who claim they will not be covered by those exemptions, and yet will be violating their faith by participating.
Here is an example of relevant paragraphs from the complaint pertaining to one of the five plaintiffs, Peggy Lee Mead:
29. Mead believes in trusting in God to protect her from illness or injury, and to heal her of any afflictions, no matter the severity of the health issue, and she does not need, or want to be forced to buy, health insurance coverage.
30. In addition, Mead has a sincerely held religious belief that God will provide for her physical, spiritual, and financial well-being. Being forced to buy health insurance conflicts with Mead's religious faith because she believes that she would be indicating that she is not really sure whether God will, in fact, provide for her needs, so she needs to rely on a health insurance policy as a backup plan.
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32. Because Mead believes in relying on God to preserve her health and provide for her physical, spiritual, and financial needs, and objects to participation in the health insurance system, the Act imposes direct and substantial religious and financial burdens upon Mead by requiring her to either 1) purchase and maintain minimum essential coverage, without any consideration of her individual needs, Christian faith, and financial situation, or 2) pay an annual shared responsibility payment.
Via Religion Clause, you can read the entire complaint here.
