{"id":2192941,"date":"2024-03-05T11:59:03","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T16:59:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-employers-do-not-have-to-pay-for-transgender-surgeries-federal-judge-rules\/"},"modified":"2024-03-05T12:00:32","modified_gmt":"2024-03-05T17:00:32","slug":"christian-employers-do-not-have-to-pay-for-transgender-surgeries-federal-judge-rules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/christian-employers-do-not-have-to-pay-for-transgender-surgeries-federal-judge-rules\/","title":{"rendered":"Federal judge rules Christian employers not obligated to cover transgender surgeries"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchristian-employers-do-not-have-to-pay-for-transgender-surgeries-federal-judge-rules%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2192941&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Seven-year-old\u200c transgender\u2062 boy Jacob Lemay and his parents Joe and Mimi look at their family photo before his \u2064transition\u200b at their home in Melrose, Massachusetts, on May 9, 2017.  \u200dFor months\u2063 in the Lemay home, the \u2062same phrase\u200c was repeated \u200bover and over by their troubled \u2063young child, barely\u200b more than \u2063a toddler, who showed growing signs of depression. \u201cIt is a \u200dmistake, I\u200d am not a girl, I\u2063 am a\u200b boy.\u201d \u2063That convinced the\u200c Lemay family that Mia\u200c should \u200bbecome Jacob. (Photo credit JEWEL\u2063 SAMAD\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>OAN\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/tag\/james-meyers\/\">James Meyers<\/a><br \/>8:45 AM -Tuesday, March 5, 2024<\/p>\n<p>A federal judge in North Dakota ruled on \u2063Monday that Christian employers do not have to provide payment and healthcare for transgender surgeries and other procedures.<\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-3\" style=\"min-width: 320px; min-height: 50px; text-align: center;\">  \t<script>  \t\tgoogletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1663871513696-art-3'); });  \t<\/script>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"ad-slot__ad-label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>On Monday U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor in Bismarck ruled that \u2064the\u2063 U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)\u200b and U.S. Department of Health and \u2063Human Services (HHS) cannot enforce the Christian Employers Alliance (CEA) to cover \u200bmedical care \u2064for gender transition surgeries.<\/p>\n<p>Traynor, who is a Donald \u2062Trump\u2062 nominee, stated that Christian groups are protected under\u2063 religious liberty protections from\u200b being forced to provide \u201cgender transition services.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>Additionally, the judge said the Christian Employers Alliance\u2019s \u201creligious beliefs are substantially \u2063burdened by the monetary penalties it \u200dfaces for refusing to violate its beliefs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cHere, CEA\u2019s sincerely held religious belief is that male and female are immutable realities\u200c defined by\u200b biological \u200csex and that gender reassignment is contrary to Christian\u2062 Values,\u201d\u2062 Traynor wrote.\u200b \u201cAs a result, performing or providing health care\u200b coverage for gender transition services under \u200cthe EEOC and HHS coverage mandates impinges upon CEA\u2019s beliefs. \u200dCEA must either comply \u200cwith the EEOC and HHS mandates by violating their sincerely held \u2062religious beliefs or else face harsh\u200b consequences like paying fines\u2063 and \u200cfacing civil liability.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Traynor also said in\u2063 his ruling that the\u2063 government had not shown it could not protect transgender employees\u2019 rights in another\u2064 way,\u200c such as providing them tax credits or\u2064 subsidies.<\/p>\n<p>The\u200d lawsuit was first initially filed in October 2021, by the Christian Employers Alliance after taking issue with \u2062the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission\u2019s interpretation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act that employers needed to \u2062cover transgender surgeries.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the \u200djudge\u2019s decision was praised by\u2062 the CEA and the Alliance\u2062 Defending Freedom, \u200cwhich represented the group in the case.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are overjoyed\u2062 our members will\u2062 not have to choose \u2064between the biblically based employee benefits and quality healthcare they provide, and the threat of federal enforcement\u200b and massive costs for practicing their faith,\u201d Christian Employers Alliance President\u2062 Shannon Royce said. <\/p>\n<p>Stay informed!\u2063 Receive breaking news\u2063 blasts directly to your inbox\u200b for\u200b free. Subscribe \u200chere. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts\">https:\/\/www.oann.com\/alerts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"rc-widget-10bad2\" data-rc-widget data-widget-host=\"habitat\" data-endpoint=\"\/\/trends.revcontent.com\" data-widget-id=\"278641\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"dpsp-share-text\" style=\"margin-bottom:10px\"> \t\t \t\t\u2064 \t\tShare this post!\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>with\u200b Ryan Helfenbein<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>with Pat Harrigan<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>with Michelle Klann<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>with Dr. Drew<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Bitcoin hit a record high, \u200bfueled by investors \u200cpouring money into U.S. spot exchange-traded crypto products.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>SpaceX will appear before a U.S. labor board judge to\u200c face claims that it\u2064 fired engineers\u200c for criticizing CEO Elon Musk.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Apple\u00a0is betting that the\u2062 more \u2063powerful\u200d models would attract consumers\u200c looking to upgrade to AI-powered PCs.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<p>Elon Musk\u200b alleges\u2064 a breach of contract and a \u2063departure \u2063from the original mission to develop AI for humanity\u2019s benefit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> rnrn  <\/p>\n<h2> \u2064What argument did the Christian Employers \u200cAlliance make against the interpretation of the EEOC that included gender identity as part\u2064 of sex discrimination?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  He \u2064Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination in\u2062 the workplace. The \u2063EEOC&#8217;s \u2064interpretation\u2064 included gender\u200d identity as part of\u200b sex discrimination, \u200bwhich would require employers to provide coverage\u200b for gender transition surgeries\u2063 and other related procedures.<\/p>\n<p>The Christian \u200dEmployers Alliance argued that this interpretation violated their religious beliefs and infringed upon their rights to exercise their faith. They claimed that providing coverage for gender transition services went against their belief \u200cthat gender \u200bis determined by biological sex \u200band that gender \u2064reassignment is contrary to Christian values.<\/p>\n<p>Judge\u2063 Traynor&#8217;s ruling\u2064 acknowledged \u200cthe \u200creligious liberty protections afforded to Christian employers\u200b and stated that their\u2062 sincerely held religious beliefs were burdened by the requirement to provide coverage for gender transition services. The\u2063 judge emphasized that \u2064the Christian Employers\u200c Alliance \u2062would face severe consequences if they refused\u2062 to comply, such as\u200d paying fines and facing \u2062civil liability.<\/p>\n<p>However, Traynor also recognized that transgender employees \u200dhave rights that should be protected. He suggested alternative ways for the government\u200b to ensure these rights, such as providing tax credits or\u200d subsidies\u2062 to transgender individuals for medical services related to\u200c gender transition.<\/p>\n<p>This ruling is\u2063 significant because it highlights the ongoing debate between religious \u2063freedom \u2062and LGBTQ+ rights. It raises questions about the extent to which religious beliefs can exempt individuals or\u2063 organizations from \u200ccomplying with laws that aim to protect marginalized \u200bcommunities.<\/p>\n<p>Advocates\u200b for LGBTQ+ rights argue that allowing\u200c religious exemptions in \u200dcases like this perpetuates \u200bdiscrimination and denies transgender individuals access to \u2064necessary\u2062 healthcare. On the other hand, proponents of religious freedom believe that\u2062 individuals and\u2063 organizations should not be\u2064 forced to\u200c act against their deeply held beliefs.<\/p>\n<p>Moving forward, \u200dthis ruling may have broader implications \u200dfor\u200d similar cases \u200bacross the country. It will likely be referenced in future legal disputes involving the clash between religious liberty and LGBTQ+ rights.<\/p>\n<p>It \u200bis crucial \u2064for the court system to strike a \u2063balance between protecting\u2062 religious freedom\u200d and \u200censuring equal rights for all individuals, regardless\u200b of \u2064their gender identity. \u200cAs this debate continues, it is \u2063important\u2063 for lawmakers to \u2062consider the diverse perspectives and interests involved and find a solution that respects the rights and freedoms of all parties.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Seven-year-old transgender boy Jacob Lemay, along with his parents Joe and Mimi, gaze at their family photo prior to his transition in Melrose, Massachusetts. Their young child, barely more than a toddler, expressed distress for months, repeatedly uttering the same phrase, prompting the family to embark on this transformative journey<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2301,"featured_media":2192942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/c3.oann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-684314622-e1709657064613.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[542],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2192941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-oann"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/c3.oann.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/GettyImages-684314622-e1709657064613.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192941","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2301"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2192941"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2192941\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2192942"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2192941"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2192941"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2192941"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}