The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel David Cortman regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to send the consolidated abortion-pill mandate cases, including the ADF cases Southern Nazarene University v. Burwell and Geneva College v. Burwell, back to the lower appeals courts for reconsideration:

“Religious organizations have the freedom to peacefully operate according to their beliefs without fear of severe penalties by the government. The Supreme Court was right to protect the Christian colleges and other groups from having to pay fines or fill out forms authorizing the objectionable coverage. The government has many other ways to ensure women are able to obtain these drugs without forcing people of faith to participate in acts that violate their deepest convictions. We look forward to addressing the remaining details as we advance these cases in the lower courts.”

ADF Senior Counsel Gregory S. Baylor will participate in a live chat about the Supreme Court’s order on Facebook at 2 p.m. EDT. Media may submit questions in advance to kkupec@adflegal.org or tweet them to @Kerri_Kupec.

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.