UNITED STATES — Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden announced his intentions if elected to restore the Obama-Biden Affordable Care Act (ACA). Biden’s announcement came following the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) 7-2 ruling on Wednesday, July 8 that the Trump administration acted well within their authority when expanding upon exemptions to the ACA’s birth control mandate pertaining to Little Sisters of the Poor.

Little Sister’s Of The Poor Take Care Of The Elderly In The U.S.

“If I am elected I will restore the Obama-Biden policy that existed before the [Supreme Court’s 2014] Hobby Lobby ruling: providing an exemption for houses of worship and accommodation for nonprofit organizations with religious missions,” said Biden in a statement released by his campaign.

“This accommodation will allow women at these organizations to access contraceptive coverage, not through their employer-provided plan, but instead through their insurance company or a third-party administrator,” Joe Biden said.

#LetThemServe || Virtual Rally for the Little Sisters of the Poor

Thank you for standing with the Little Sisters as we ask the Supreme Court TODAY to #LetThemServe. Join our virtual rally and listen to members of Congress, faith leaders, and non-profit organizations why the Little Sisters' vital mission of caring for the elderly poor should be protected.

Posted by Little Sisters of the Poor – United States on Wednesday, May 6, 2020

In the case of Little Sisters of the Poor Saint’s Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania Et. AL., the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit was argued on May 6 and decided on July 8. The twenty-two-page ruling can be found here: Supreme Court Ruling

Justice Clarence Thomas ruled in favor of the Sisters of the Poor and made the following statement in his conclusion:

“For over 150 years, the Little Sisters have engaged in faithful service and sacrifice motivated by a religious calling to surrender all for the sake of their brother, but for the past seven years, they, like many other religious objectors who have participated in the litigation and rulemakings leading up to today’s decision, have had to fight for the ability to continue in their noble work without violating their sincerely held religious beliefs.”

The Little Sisters of the Poor–United States expressed their gratitude for the court’s decision and for all those who prayed in a message on their Facebook page.

Mother Lorraine Mark Maguire

Mother Lorraine Mark Maguire writes, “We are so relieved and grateful that the case has reached its conclusion and we can go back to focusing totally on the elderly! Please pray for them, as in most of our Homes in the USA the infirm Residents are still on isolation precautions in their rooms. This is since March. It is very hard on their mental and emotional health. Thank you for your prayers!”

Supreme Court Justice’s Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch relayed that the legal battle for Little Sisters of the Poor may not be over. The 2014 ruling in favor of Hobby-Lobby did hold.

“We now send these cases back to the lower court, where the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey are all but certain to pursue their argument that the current rule is flawed on yet another ground, namely, that it is arbitrary and capricious and thus violates the APA,” said Chief Justice Samuel Alito.

White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s statement on the Supreme Court’s ruling may be found on the White House web page (link below).

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statement.