The U.S. Supreme Court ordered a lower court to reconsider a decision that protected abortion rights in the state of New York law that the Roman Catholic Diocese takes issue with.
New York passed a law that mandated employer-funded insurance to cover the price of medically necessary abortions. A lower court had already ruled against a challenge to that law by religious groups.
The Supreme Court's decision now orders the lower court to hear the case again, based on the justices' decision in favor of religious groups in Catholic Charities Bureau, Inc. v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission.
Slate's legal reporter Mark Joseph Stern pointed out on Bluesky, "The religious groups demanding an exemption in this case effectively want the right to prevent their employees from getting insurance coverage for medically necessary abortions."
Medically necessary abortions involve the life and health of the mother. The Guttmacher Institute reports that fewer than 3% of abortions are performed for medically specific reasons.
The Supreme Court overturned the landmark law Roe v. Wade in 2022, allowing states to make up their own abortion regulations and laws. Several states have banned abortions, while others have passed laws protecting reproductive rights.