Thomas More Society to defend Illinois religious groups’ challenge of sweeping abortion-coverage mandate
Caroline MolloyThe Thomas More Society will argue before the Illinois Appellate Court on behalf of the Illinois Baptist State Association (IBSA), opposing a state mandate that requires health insurance plans to include abortion coverage.
According to a National Right to Life report, IBSA, a network of nearly 1,000 Baptist churches, ministries, and missions that have served in Illinois for over a century, contends that its long-standing faith convictions are directly undermined by the 2019 Illinois Reproductive Health Act (RHA). The act mandates that all employer-sponsored health insurance plans cover chemical and surgical abortions, and the state has denied every request for exemption from IBSA.
The Thomas More Society, which filed the lawsuit on IBSA’s behalf back in June 2020, argues that the RHA breaks faith with earlier assurances from state lawmakers that religious and moral convictions would be respected. “These assurances have proven to be nothing more than empty promises,” said Peter Breen, executive vice president and head of litigation at the law firm.
Breen called the mandate “a blatant violation of our clients’ fundamental rights,” accusing Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the majority in the General Assembly of enforcing “an extreme abortion agenda.”
IBSA attempted to find alternatives, including a self‑funded plan and an out‑of‑state insurer, GuideStone. Those options proved either unaffordable or inaccessible, effectively leaving IBSA forced to choose between violating its sincerely held religious belief that life begins at conception or dropping coverage entirely.
