Join us as Hal Frampton, senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom, delves into a pivotal legal case in Michigan’s Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. He’s representing Christian Healthcare Centers (CHC) and Sacred Heart Academy as they navigate the expanded civil rights protections in Michigan, which now encompass “gender” and “sexual preference.” Both institutions could potentially be compelled to hire individuals who don’t align with their religious principles.
Established in 2018, the Grand Rapids-based Christian Healthcare Centers offers a unique, direct-pay primary care model that also caters to patients’ spiritual well-being. While they serve all patients irrespective of sexual preference and identity, their hiring process requires employees to resonate with their religious beliefs and confirm this with a signed statement. Potentially, CHC could be sued for not hiring someone who does align with its mission.
In this episode, Frampton addresses:
1. If there has been no fine or penalty yet against CHC, why is it being sued?
2. The significance of faith in CHC’s practice model.
3. The quagmire that can be presented by expanding civil rights protections to include “gender” and “sexual preference.”
4. The potential of this case reaching the U.S. Supreme Court.
Read more:
Christian Healthcare Centers, Inc. v. Dana Nessel et. al., U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan Southern Division, August 29, 2023: https://adfmedialegalfiles.blob.core.windows.net/files/ChristianHealthcareCentersComplaint.pdf
(appellate briefs will be submitted mid-October)
AnneMarie Schieber
AnneMarie Schieber is a research fellow at The Heartland Institute and managing editor of Health Care News, Heartland’s monthly newspaper for health care reform.
