The government said that it could not provide funds to a church because of a provision in the Missouri Constitution that prohibits state aid to religion, commonly referred to as a Blaine Amendment. The federal court of appeals earlier found in favor of the government.

“Like the carrier of a communicable disease, Trinity Lutheran Church has been excluded from fully participating in society for fear of passing on its ‘contagion,’” said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver. “In this case, the ‘contagion’ that threatens to ‘taint’ the community is its status as a church. If the Missouri Constitution were read as broadly as the government reads it now, then it would mean that neither Trinity Lutheran nor any faith-based property owner could receive any publicly funded services, including police and fire protection, water and sewer service, or street and sidewalk maintenance. In fact, such a broad reading would mean that religious-affiliated hospitals could not treat Medicare or Medicaid patients. It is past time to end discrimination against churches and Christian viewpoints,” said Staver.

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