Written by Don Byrd
On Friday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into a law a bill allowing any employer self-identifying in its articles of incorporation as a “religiously affiliated employer” to refuse contraception coverage in its health care plans. Previously, the state allowed only certain religious organizations to claim an exemption from the requirement. Now, that accommodation is much broader in the state.
“In its final form, this bill is about nothing more than preserving religious freedom to which were all constitutionally entitled,” Brewer said in a prepared statement. “Mandating that a religious institution provide a service in direct contradiction with its faith would represent an obvious encroachment upon the First Amendment.”
