Attorneys from Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), representing Cedar Park Church based in Seattle, are set to present oral arguments in a significant case – Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland v. Kreidler – at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Thursday. This is due to an appeal by ADF lawyers on behalf of Cedar Park Church after a lower court ruling that the church is required to comply with the state’s mandate of providing abortion coverage for employees, seen by the church as violating its constitutionally protected pro-life religious beliefs.
The 9th Circuit previously overturned the district court’s original decision to dismiss Cedar Park Church’s case in July 2021. The dispute arose following the signing of Washington Senate Bill 6219 into law in March 2018. The law demands that Cedar Park, alongside most employers in Washington, provide abortion coverage if they also offer maternity care coverage to their employees. Non-compliance leads to punitive measures, including fines and even imprisonment. Following a second ruling against the church, ADF lawyers lodged an appeal at the 9th Circuit. In support of Cedar Park, numerous pro-life organizations and 18 state attorneys general submitted friend-of-the-court briefs.
ADF Senior Counsel Rory Gray, who will be representing Cedar Park in court, expressed the church’s dedication to life protection and the unconstitutional imposition of the state in forcing churches to fund abortions. He emphasized that it contradicts religious beliefs and constitutional rights.
Before the implementation of Senate Bill 6219, Cedar Park offered an abortion-free health plan. However, to adhere to Washington law, Cedar Park’s insurance added surgical abortion and abortifacient contraceptive coverage to the church’s health plan. Cedar Park has been seeking an exemption from Washington’s abortion-coverage mandate in court for the past five years.