Lesbian Couple Sues Catholic Hospital for Marriage Benefits

Religion Today | Updated: Jun 29, 2012

Lesbian Couple Sues Catholic Hospital for Marriage Benefits

A lesbian couple has filed a lawsuit that could impact religious liberty in at least six states, WORLD News Service reports. The lawsuit, filed June 19 in New York, targets St. Joseph's Medical Canter -- a Catholic hospital in Westchester -- and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, the private company that insures it. The two women, named as Jane Doe and Jane Roe in the lawsuit, were legally married after the New York legislature created same-sex marriage last year, and now they want family health insurance coverage. "I remember almost a year ago when this bill was signed into law, we were told that it would have no impact on religious freedoms," said Rev. Jason McGuire, executive director of New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms. "Less than a year later it's very clear that gay marriage is indeed having an impact on religious freedom here in the Empire State." The attorney for the lesbian women, Jeffrey Norton, said of the case: "Our clients have a right to enjoy the full benefits of marriage afforded to other married couples in New York, and we are determined to achieve that right for them."



Lesbian Couple Sues Catholic Hospital for Marriage Benefits