Did Planned Parenthood Influence This State’s Government to Force Churches to Pay for Abortion Coverage in Health Plans?

California requires employers, including churches and pro-life organizations, to include elective abortion coverage in health insurance plans. The California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) defines killing unborn babies in the womb as health care, equated with maternity care.

Three churches filed suit against the state in 2014 to stop enforcement. A federal judge ruled against them.

The churches filed an appeal this week, and Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a legal firm that has represents Christians like baker Jack Phillips and florist Barronelle Stutzman, posted e-mails between the government and Planned Parenthood concerning the coverage mandate that reveals the abortion industry’s lobbying efforts. An excerpt (emphasis added):

As revealed in e-mails that Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys who represent the churches discovered, the agency issued its mandate in response to specific demands from Planned Parenthood. Those demands asked agency officials to implement a “fix” requiring the health plans of religious organizations to include coverage for abortion, regardless of moral or conscientious objections and despite state recognition up to that point that religious groups shouldn’t be subject to such requirements. The abortion giant threatened to promote its own legislative “solution” if the administrative agency didn’t act, so DMHC issued its mandate in 2014.

Here’s an except of an exchange (12-page PDF) between a Planned Parenthood lawyer and the government that shows the abortion giant’s lobbying efforts:

We are writing to request another meeting with DMHC to discuss plans that are excluding abortion from their coverage. We received a response from Anthem that they believe their practice complies with the law. As a result, Loyola Marymount employees are currently paying additional premiums for third party coverage of abortion. Santa Clara University also has stated that it believes it can exclude elective abortions from coverage.

This e-mail is a response to another Planned Parenthood employee from the government:

Thanks for getting back in touch. We are still working through the issues, and DM HC would like to request Planned Parenthood’s assistance on some additional information. Would you mind getting in touch with Gary Baldwin (cc’d here)? Appreciate your willingness to assist us on this.

Read ADF’s full exhibit (12-age PDF) of e-mails.

Photo credit: American Life League (Creative Commons) – Some rights reserved