The ACLU may be busy caving in to SJW demands that they renounce free speech, but that hasn’t caused the group to slow down its attacks on the freedom of religion (two sides of the same coin, I know). As it ramps up its attacks, it’s likely that the ACLU will soon begin demanding that the First Amendment be repealed. In its latest attack on the freedoms the founders of this country deemed of first importance, the ACLU sued a Catholic healthcare system because the organization’s healthcare plan doesn’t cover sex reassignment surgery.
According to the AP, “The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington filed the discrimination lawsuit against PeaceHealth in federal court on behalf of Cheryl Enstad of Bellingham and her son, Paxton Enstad, 17.” The article went on to say, “She said she and her husband eventually took out a second mortgage and dipped into Paxton’s college fund to pay more than $10,000 for his surgery last fall.”
“PeaceHealth was telling me my son was undeserving of medical care simply because he’s transgender,” Cheryl Enstad said in a news conference Thursday. “It’s heartbreaking. It is not fair.”
The mother has worked at PeaceHealth as a social worker for eleven years and continues to be on-call with the Catholic organization. Her “son” wanted to have “his” breasts removed because puberty was causing anxiety and depression. After discovering that the mother’s health plan provided by PeaceHealth wouldn’t cover the surgery, the family paid for it out of pocket.
According to the family, Paxton’s surgery was medically necessary in order to treat “his” gender dysphoria. In interviews, Paxton has told reporters that, “The surgery improved his life dramatically… He no longer hides in his room or hunches, trying to hide his breasts under many layers of clothing, and he has started swimming again.”
PeaceHealth was founded in 1890 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace. The non-profit health system is distinctly Catholic and holds to Catholic doctrine and teaching. Because of their religious beliefs, PeaceHealth has instructed the health insurance provider not to cover sex reassignment surgery for employees. Although the ACLU disagrees, the AP explains that PeaceHealth is within their legal rights to do so.
“In 2014, Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler told health insurance carriers in Washington that the carriers regulated by his office must cover such transgender care if they also cover medically necessary care for others. Because it’s self-funded, PeaceHealth’s plan is not regulated by the commissioner’s office, but the ACLU chapter says the plan’s exclusions for gender reassignment surgery nevertheless violate the state and federal laws,” the AP wrote.
In a statement to the AP, PeaceHealth spokesman Jeremy Rush said he is seeking more information about the insurance policy and this case. “PeaceHealth is committed to creating an inclusive healthcare environment,” he said. “Throughout our 126-year heritage, we have been dedicated to embracing and celebrating the diversity of our communities, our caregivers and the individuals we are privileged to serve.”
It’s sad that an organization titled the American Civil Liberties Union has become an activist group that is beginning to only serve the demands of a specific ideology that despises freedom. The First Amendment is an integral part of our nation’s foundation. Chipping away at it will only serve to bring the entire structure toppling down.
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