When the State of California decided to force churches to provide abortion coverage for their employees, four churches successfully fought back against this infringement on their religious freedom guaranteed under the First Amendment.

Two federal courts have consequently ruled that the government can’t force churches to provide abortions and required the state to cover $1.4 million in attorney fees for the victorious churches.

In both cases, the churches were represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). The first case involved Skyline Wesleyan Church in San Diego and in the second case ADF successfully represented three churches, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino, The Shepherd of the Hills Church in Porter Ranch and Foothill Church in Glendora.

In its news release, ADF Senior Counsel Jeremiah Galus said, “The government can’t force a church or any other religious employer to violate their faith and conscience by participating in funding abortion.”

But there was more going on here than just that.

“For years, California officials, in collaboration with Planned Parenthood, have unconstitutionally targeted faith-based organizations,” Galus added. “This is a significant victory for the churches we represent, the conscience rights of their members, and other religious organizations that shouldn’t be ordered by the government to violate some of their deepest faith convictions.”

Galus stated that emails revealed Planned Parenthood had asked the California government to fix the loopholes that exempted churches from having to provide abortion coverage in their health care packages.

READ: Forcing churches to pay for abortion coverage, violate conscience costs California $1.4M