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Active U.S. Courts of Appeals

Christian Healthcare Centers v. Nessel

The Biden administration's reinterpretation of the law could force doctors to act against their beliefs in performing gender transition surgeries on patients.

Summary

Christian Healthcare Centers, a Michigan faith-based medical nonprofit, filed a lawsuit against Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, seeking to vindicate its constitutionally protected right to operate as a religious ministry. Michigan’s civil rights law, which state courts recently reinterpreted to include sexual orientation and gender identity, now requires Christian Healthcare Centers to hire people who do not share their faith, to prescribe cross-sex hormones to facilitate efforts to alter a patient’s biological sex, and to use pronouns that do not accord with a person’s biological sex. All of this violates the ministry’s religious beliefs and undermines its ability to provide safe healthcare to the needy and the rest of the community.

Additional Resources

Case Profiles

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John Bursch
John Bursch
Senior Counsel, Vice President of Appellate Advocacy
John Bursch is senior counsel and vice president of appellate advocacy with Alliance Defending Freedom.
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Hal Frampton
Hal Frampton
Senior Counsel
Hal Frampton serves as senior counsel in the Center for Conscience Initiatives at Alliance Defending Freedom.