Last week, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a ruling in favor of religious freedom. The Little Sisters of the Poor visited the nation's high court three times in the nearly ten year legal battle, and finally won back their religious freedom in a ruling that states they do not have to provide contraception and birth control if it goes against their religious beliefs.
In 2010, the Obama administration issued the HHS contraceptive mandate, which required employers to provide insurance that included coverage for contraception. This has been upheld in appeals courts for the last seven years. But in a 7-2 vote, the Supreme Court ruled that this was unconstitutional, reversing the appeals court's decision.
Justice Clarence Thomas, who authored the majority opinion, wrote, "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."
This is not only a win for the Little Sisters of the Poor, but for all American institutions with religious beliefs.
To read more about this Supreme Court victory, check out this Breakpoint article.