Here at the ACLU of Maine, we do more than simply talk about the importance of religious freedom--we go to court to defend everyone's right to practice their beliefs free from government interference. But--and this is important--religious freedom does not mean that religious people have the right to impose your beliefs on anyone else. If you are religious, you have the constitutional right to your beliefs and practices, and you even have the right to try to convince other people that they ought to give your religion a try (proselytizing makes a lot of people uncomfortable, but it is protected by the right to free speech). Religions, though, cannot veto government programs that are in conflict with a particular set of religious teachings.
Twelve lawsuits have been launched against the federal contraceptive coverage rule, arguing in one way or another than ensuring access to birth control for all women violates the religious freedom of people who do not believe in using birth control. The contraceptive coverage rule does not require any religious employer to either use or provide contraceptive coverage; for those employers, the insurance companies themselves are going to bear the cost of the coverage. But, groups are nonetheless trying to use religion to discriminate against other people who are perfectly comfortable--theologically and medically--using birth control. That isn't fair.
Luckily, as my ACLU colleague Sarah Lipton-Lubet points out, just because someone brings a lawsuit does not mean they have a good argument. Hopefully, these cases will be defeated quickly, and women will get the opportunity to decide for themselves about their own medical coverage.
