ACLU of Massachusetts v. Kathleen Sebelius, et al.
What's at Stake
From April 2006 to October 2011, the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) $2.5 million to $4 million annually to fund organizations that provide direct services to trafficking victims under the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act. HHS does this knowing that USCCB prohibits, based on its religious beliefs, grantees from using any of the federal funds to provide or refer for contraceptive or abortion services.
Summary
Through the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the federal government distributes funds to cover an array of services needed by thousands of individuals, many of whom are women, who are brought into the United States annually and exploited for their labor, including in the commercial sex industry. Many trafficking victims experience extreme violence and sexual assault at the hands of their traffickers. Some become pregnant as a result of rape and some contract sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Contraceptive and abortion services are critical care for many trafficking victims.
In January 2009, the ACLU asked a federal court in Massachusetts to require HHS to ensure that taxpayer funds distributed through the Trafficking Victims Protection Act are not used to impose religiously based restrictions on reproductive health services.
In March 2012, the court ruled that a religious institution does not have the right to use taxpayer money to impose its beliefs on others. The bishops and the federal government’s appeal is pending in the First Circuit.
In January 2013, the First Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case as moot since USCCB's contract expired and was not renewed.
Legal Documents
-
10/18/2012
ACLU of Massachusetts v. Kathleen Sebelius et al – Appellate Brief
Date Filed: 10/18/2012
Affiliate: Massachusetts
-
09/23/2011
ACLU of Massachusetts v. Kathleen Sebelius, et al. - Plaintiff's Reply in Further Support of its Motion for Summary Judgment
Date Filed: 09/23/2011
Affiliate: Massachusetts
-
09/09/2011
ACLU of Massachusetts v. Kathleen Sebelius, et al. - Plaintiff's Opposition to Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment
Date Filed: 09/09/2011
Affiliate: Massachusetts
-
09/09/2011
ACLU of Massachusetts v. Kathleen Sebelius, et al. - Plaintiff's Memorandum in Support of its Motion for Summary Judgment
Date Filed: 09/09/2011
Affiliate: Massachusetts
-
06/25/2009
ACLU of MA v. Sebelius - Brief in Opposition to the Government’s Motion to Dismiss
Date Filed: 06/25/2009
Affiliate: Massachusetts
-
03/24/2012
ACLU of Massachusetts v. Kathleen Sebelius et al. – Order
Date Filed: 03/24/2012
Affiliate: Massachusetts
-
03/23/2010
ACLU of Massachusetts v. Sebelius - Memo and Order on Defendants' Motion to Dismiss
Date Filed: 03/23/2010
Affiliate: Massachusetts
-
01/12/2009
ACLU of Massachusetts v. Michael O. Leavitt, et al. - Complaint
Date Filed: 01/12/2009
Affiliate: Massachusetts
Press Releases
Religious Restrictions on Government-Funded Trafficking Victims’ Program Challenged in Federal Appeals Court
Court Prohibits Religious Restrictions on Government-Funded Trafficking Victims' Program
ACLU Asks Court To Stop Misuse Of Taxpayer Dollars In Trafficking Victims' Program
