Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing a Seattle-area church engaged in oral arguments in Cedar Park Assembly of God of Kirkland v. Kuderer at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. ADF attorneys are asking the court to uphold Cedar Park Church’s constitutionally protected, pro-life religious beliefs by exempting it from an overly broad state mandate that requires most Washington employers to provide abortion coverage for employees.
Senate Bill 6219, signed into law in March 2018, requires Cedar Park’s employee health plan to cover abortion if the church’s plan also offers maternity care coverage. Violators face fines and criminal penalties, including imprisonment. A district court first dismissed the case, which the 9th Circuit later reversed. The district court then ruled that forcing the church to include abortion in its health plan didn’t violate its free-exercise rights, prompting ADF attorneys to appeal to the 9th Circuit again in November 2023. After the 9th Circuit initially ruled unfavorably in March 2025, the court withdrew its opinion and call for further arguments.
Read Full Article: https://www.lifenews.com/2026/01/09/washington-church-challenges-state-law-making-it-fund-abortions/
