For Immediate Release

Contact:

Merrill Miller, 202-238-9088 ext. 105, merrillmiller@americanhumanist.org

(Washington, DC, May 16, 2016)—The American Humanist Association expresses disappointment in the United States Supreme Court’s failure to rule on Zubik v. Burwell.

“The Supreme Court had the opportunity to stand up for the separation of church and state by giving women’s access to contraception priority over their employers’ religious beliefs,” said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association. “Instead the Court has delayed the decision, giving religious groups the opportunity to unjustly meddle with women’s right to healthcare.”

In March, the American Humanist Association urged the Supreme Court to uphold the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment by not granting special privileges to religious organizations. The American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center also submitted an amicus curiae brief that argued that the health and well-being of the American people should take precedence over religious employers’ objections to providing contraception.

“The lower courts should simply uphold the contraceptive mandate procedures,” said David Niose, legal director of the American Humanist Association. “The requirements of the Affordable Care Act do not substantially burden anyone’s religion, so the lower courts reconsidering this issue should not grant special privileges to religious organizations seeking to impose their views upon women.”

The American Humanist Association is committed to protecting the separation of church and state, particularly as it pertains to women’s reproductive freedom and will continue to monitor this issue for further developments in the lower courts.

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Founded in 1941 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the American Humanist Association (AHA) works to protect the rights of humanists, atheists, and other nontheistic Americans. The AHA advances the ethical and life-affirming philosophy of humanism, which—without beliefs in any gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.

Special thanks to the Louis J. Appignani Foundation for their support of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center.