Judge Issues Temporary Block On Biden Admin's Mandate Requiring Christian Employers To Pay For Trans Surgeries

A federal court issued a temporary block on the enforcement of a mandate from the Biden administration that requires Christian employers to pay for transgender healthcare plans.

The U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota on Monday issued an order allowing the Christian Employers Alliance (CEA) a preliminary injunction on grounds that the Biden admin's mandate requiring Christian employers to pay for trans surgeries would "irreparably harm" the group. Judge Daniel Traynor, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, argued that the Alliance would be forced to "violate its sincerely held beliefs or face monetary losses, fines, and even civil liabilities."

The CEA and its members "face a very real irreparable harm if they are either forced to comply or if they refuse to comply," Judge Traynor wrote, as per the Christian Post. He argued further that the group has already demonstrated that they face an injury and that without a preliminary injunction, the Christian group and its members would be forced to violate their religious beliefs or face "severe monetary policies."

Religious Group Filed a Complaint Against the EEOC

The issue over the Biden admin's mandate requiring Christian employers to pay for trans surgeries dates back to October 2021, when the CEA filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), seeking to block the enforcement of the mandate. The Biden admin's mandate would require coverage of trans-affirming counseling and medical services that violate the beliefs of the Christian group and its members.

Moreover, the issue was about the two Biden admin mandates from the EEOC and HHS interpreting Title VII civil rights protections on discriminating based on "sex," which include sexual orientation and gender identity. CEA is being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal group that specializes in defending religious freedom rights at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Also Read:Judge Allows Transgender Woman To Become First Federal Prisoner To Obtain Sex-Change Surgery

ADF Decries Biden Admin Mandates as 'Unlawful'

In a statement issued by ADF Legal Counsel Jacob Reed, he argued that the judge was right to "halt enforcement" of the Biden admin mandates, which he described as "unlawful" and that "disrespect people of faith." He added that all employers and healthcare providers have the right to "conduct their business and render treatment in a manner consistent with their deeply held religious beliefs."

At issue here was a mandate that was instituted by the Obama administration in 2016 that would require Christian employers to fund trans-affirming surgeries. The Trump administration repealed the same mandate in 2018, but the Biden administration reinstituted the policy in 2021.

CEA President Shannon Royce said that the Biden admin's mandates on trans-affirming surgeries and healthcare are "crippling" for many Christian-owned and operated businesses all over America. She denounced the measures, arguing that it was "unconscionable and unconstitutional" to be forced to promote services and procedures that directly contradict their firmly held beliefs.