LAW ON ‘ABORTION SANCTUARY’ CHALLENGED

ST. LOUIS A group of St. Louis Catholics filed a lawsuit against the city Monday over a local ordinance that prohibits discrimination based on “reproductive health decisions,” saying the law could force employers or landlords to go against their religious beliefs.

The law, enacted in February, bars employers from hiring or firing people based on whether they have had an abortion, get pregnant outside of marriage, or use contraceptives or artificial insemination. Landlords also can’t refuse to rent to someone based on those criteria.

Opponents say the law makes St. Louis a sanctuary city for abortion. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Roman Catholic grade schools operating under the Archdiocese of St. Louis; Our Lady’s Inn, a home for pregnant homeless women; and a private company whose owner is Catholic. It seeks to stop the city from enforcing the ordinance.

“Passage of this bill is not a milestone of our city’s success,” St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson said at news conference. “It is rather a marker of our city’s embrace of the culture of death.”

A spokesman for Mayor Lyda Krewson said the city had no comment on the lawsuit.