Contact: Margie Shealy, Margie.shealy@cmda.org; 423-844-1047

Intervenor Christian Medical & Dental Associations on court decision:
“No one should be forced to violate their conscience or sincere religious beliefs”

Bristol, Tennessee, November 6, 2019 –In response to today’s court ruling in New York v. HHS, Christian Medical & Dental Associations releases the following statement:

Christian doctors and nurses are on the frontlines serving people in need. Driven by our faith, we welcome and care for everyone, especially the underserved. We care for homeless and migrant communities, prisoners living with HIV, and victims of gang violence, sex trafficking, opioid addiction and deadly epidemics. But our service is threatened by lawsuits brought in New York, Washington and California, which challenge commonsense conscience protections for healthcare professionals of faith. Religious healthcare professionals of all religions must be free to continue providing compassionate care without being forced to perform procedures, such as abortions, that would require them to violate their most deeply held beliefs.

Today’s decision in New York v. HHS is disappointing, but Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA) remains committed to fighting for the conscience rights of the over 900,000 religious medical professionals in the United States. No one should be forced to violate their conscience or sincere religious beliefs. And society is better off when medical professionals who are motivated by their convictions are free to provide quality care without being forced to check those convictions at the door.