Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton & Clinton Counties v. Hertel

For years, Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton & Clinton Counties has faithfully served vulnerable communities in the Lansing region. The Catholic ministry provides healthcare, dental, and mental health services; substance use treatment; counseling; financial coaching; adoption and foster care; assistance with food, clothing, and prescription drugs; refugee resettlement; and immigration legal assistance. Yet when government officials learned of the ministry’s religious beliefs about abortion and contraception—guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church on the sanctity of life and the dignity of the human person—they launched an investigation, crafted new policies targeting those beliefs, and ultimately stripped the ministry of critically needed state funding.