by  Kerby Anderson

“If this is a sign of how religious liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern.” That is the chilling statement from Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in his critical dissent. He is troubled that the Supreme Court decided not to hear an important case involving religious freedom of conscience.

The case involved a Christian-owned pharmacy that did not want to dispense abortion-causing drugs such as Plan B. The state of Washington requires that all pharmacies dispense “all lawfully prescribed drugs or devices.” Instead the pharmacists refer customers to other local pharmacies that do carry the drug. According to court documents, there are over 30 pharmacies and drug stores within five miles that can do so. That accommodation was not enough for abortion activists.

A federal court in 2012 struck down the Washington law as unconstitutional. The court ruled that the law was designed to force pharmacists and pharmacies to violate their religious faith. Last year, however, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision. The judges upheld the law mandating that pharmacists dispense these drugs. The Supreme Court decision not to hear the case allows the Ninth Circuit Court’s ruling to stand.

Perhaps you can now see why Justice Alito issued this dire warning. In his dissent he explained the dilemma now facing Christian pharmacists: “Violate your sincerely held religious beliefs or get out of the pharmacy business.”

Of course, this warning applies to more that just pharmacists. Recent laws and court rulings about same-sex weddings, for example, raise questions about whether a dedicated Christian can be a baker, florist, photographer, or country clerk. Each year the list of vocations Christians might avoid gets longer. That is why we should pay attention to what Justice Alito warned in his dissent.