FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2025

Contact: Court Beyer, cbeyer@americanhumanist.org

WASHINGTON – The following is a statement from American Humanist Association Executive Director Fish Stark in response to today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision in Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor and Industry Review Commission:

“Today the Supreme Court privileged the tax savings of a religiously-funded non-profit entity over the welfare of the individual. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen employers attempt to use their faith as an excuse to deny services and protections for their workers – from Hobby Lobby to Catholic Charities, the religious right continues to undermine the principle that it is the government’s role to meet our basic human needs.

“We have serious concerns about the potential implications of this decision. Today’s ruling broadens the realm of what conduct is considered religious practice and invites allegations of discrimination into any effort to regulate religiously-adjacent conduct. Most importantly, religious exemptions should never come at the expense of worker’s rights and autonomy.

“Today’s decision is yet another wake-up call for secular Americans: the fight for equality and freedom for ourselves and our community still needs us.”

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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 worldview of humanism, which—without beliefs in gods or other supernatural forces—encourages individuals to live informed and meaningful lives that aspire to the greater good of humanity.