Media Advisory: Press call to discuss Presidential Executive Order on religious liberty Orders agencies to obey RFRA, reconsider illegal imposition of mandate after repeated Supreme Court losses to nuns

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – Moments ago, the President signed an executive order protecting the Little Sisters of the Poor, a 175-year-old religious order of women who care for the elderly poor, and other religious nonprofits around the country from the government’s contraceptive mandate. The executive order comes after the Little Sisters fought imposition of the mandate in four years of litigation and after multiple wins at the Supreme Court. The executive order instructs government officials to follow religious liberty laws, including the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) and reconsider the mandate, which would force the Little Sisters to provide services, such as the week-after pill, against their religious beliefs. The government fought to impose this mandate on the Little Sisters even though the government already exempted plans covering one in three Americans, large corporations like Exxon and Pepsi, and its own insurance plans for the disabled and military families.

A press call to discuss the implications of the Executive Order and the future of its impact on the Little Sisters of the Poor will be held this morning/afternoon at 12:15 p.m. Eastern at 888-670-9385 (Pin: 54523).

What:
Press Call to discuss the The Little Sisters of the Poor 

Who: 
Lori Windham, senior counsel at Becket

When: 
Thursday, May 4 at 12:15 p.m. Eastern

How to join:
Dial in number: 888-670-9385
Pin: 54523
Email questions in advance to: [email protected]

For more information or to arrange an interview with a Becket attorney, please contact Melinda Skea at [email protected] or 202-349-7224. Interviews can be arranged in English, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

Additional Information:

• Images and b-roll (credit: Becket)
• Media Kit for the Little Sisters of the Poor (all legal docs, press releases, background)
• Supreme Court Opinion (May 16, 2016)
• HHS Information Central 
• Website: The Little Sisters of the Poor

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Becket is a non-profit, public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions. For over 20 years, it has defended clients of all faiths, including Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Native Americans, Sikhs, and Zoroastrians (read more).