08/03/2022
Following up on the firm's multiple filings in Florida this week on behalf of 7 interfaith clergy challenging Florida's newly enacted ban on abortions after 15 weeks, New Jersey Law Journal reached out to Spiro Harrison co-founder, David Harrison for comment;
"Among the RFRA’s applications", says Harrison from Spiro Harrison, "has been the 2014 Supreme Court ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, which held that a chain of arts-and-crafts stores did not have to provide contraceptives to its employees because the company’s owners opposed contraception on religious grounds. The idea is, basically, RFRA has been used for years to advance, frankly, Christian religious beliefs. This is the first time, I think, in connection with abortion cases, that it’s been used the other way,” said Harrison.
“We argue that the abortion ban, which criminalizes abortion and those who actively participate in abortions, substantially burdens the free exercise of religion. In this particular context, when you have these clergy members who have congregants who seek advice from them on reproductive issues like abortion, we believe by criminalizing their ability to speak freely about how their particular religion should guide them in connection with those decisions, it’s a violation of the RFRA statute,” said Harrison.
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Plaintiff believes that all Buddhists should be able to use self-determination to make choices to access abortion services and birth control with no restriction on movement, autonomy, type, or timing, Miami-Dade County Buddhist leader Lama Karma Chotso said in a suit.
