Lansing — A Lansing-area Catholic group is suing the state of Michigan in federal court and alleging that its state contract for women’s substance abuse treatment services was revoked due to its stance on abortion and contraceptives.
The decision by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services shows “a pattern of religious targeting” meant to pressure the Catholic organization to abandon its beliefs in order to serve the public, according to the suit filed by Catholic Charities of Ingham, Eaton and Clinton Counties.
“This case arises from Michigan’s decision to single out and punish a Catholic ministry — not for any failure of service, not for any complaint, and not for any programmatic deficiency — but solely because the ministry operates in accordance with the teachings of the Catholic Church,” the suit said.
The suit, filed by the conservative Alliance Defending Freedom, argued that the state’s actions violate the First Amendment free speech and free exercise protections, 14th Amendment due process and equal protections as well as statutory protections for faith-based providers.
It is filed against Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Elizabeth Hertel, who is leaving her position July 1; Attorney General Dana Nessel; Angela Smith-Butterwick, the department’s substance abuse program director; and the Mid-State Health Network, a prepaid inpatient health plan (PIHP) that administers federal Medicaid and substance abuse dollars for the state.
Spokespersons for Nessel and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond Friday to a request for comment.
The suit alleged that the state, after learning of the religious commitments of the group, “launched an investigation, crafted new policies targeting those beliefs and ultimately stripped Catholic Charities of its designation as a Women’s Specialty Services and Enhanced Women’s Services provider.” Women’s Specialty Services and Enhanced Women’s Services are substance abuse programs that largely operate with federal money.
The lawsuit argued that the state and Nessel have demonstrated “religious targeting” against the Catholic Charities before, including in 2019, when its predecessor, St. Vincent Catholic Charities, successfully sued the state after it attempted to end its foster care and adoption contract with the group based on the group’s refusal to work with gay couples.
“Now, the same department has taken the same type of action against the same organization in the substance-abuse-treatment context,” the suit said. “And it has done so for the same reason: because of Catholic Charities’ Catholic beliefs.”
The suit filed Friday in the Western District of Michigan’s U.S. District Court centers on substance abuse counseling and therapy programs provided by Catholic Charities’ Cristo Rey Counseling Center through a state contract that largely relies on federal dollars.
For roughly 10 years, the Lansing-based center was designated by the state as a Women’s Specialty Services and Enhanced Women’s Services provider, providing 394 women’s specialty services therapy sessions to 16 women in 2024 and 2025 alone, according to the suit. Those services are provided through a contract with Mid-State Health Network, which administers federal Medicaid and federal substance use block grant dollars on behalf of the state Department of Health and Human Services.
Cristo Rey’s counseling and treatment services, the lawsuit said, integrate Catholic teachings on abortion and contraception. So, rather than make referrals for abortion or contraceptive services, the group refers clients to services such as natural family planning counseling and abstinence support. Additionally, according to the lawsuit, employees are expected to support Catholic beliefs and teachings in their respective roles and sign pledges to that end.
The suit noted that the federal substance use block grant dollars do not prohibit providers opposed to abortion, nor do they limit providers that espouse natural family planning or abstinence instead of contraceptives. In fact, the suit argued, there are federal “charitable choice” provisions that allow faith-based providers to participate in the program without pressure to change their beliefs or practices.
But in March 2026, according to the complaint, Mid-State Health Network demanded to meet with Catholic Charities to discuss its written core values and mission statement. Department of Health and Human Services officials also attended the meeting, the filing said.
Among the topics discussed at the meeting, the complaint said, was Catholic Charities’ required employee pledge to adhere to Catholic beliefs on referrals related to abortions, contraceptives, gender identity and adoption placements with same sex couples.
Mid-State Health Network, days later, adopted a new policy that required Catholic Charities to disclose any service limitations it had related to family planning, reproductive health, gender identity or sexual orientation, the lawsuit said.
The federal grant program, the suit argued, requires no such disclosures. Federal law, according to the complaint, only requires faith-based providers to notify clients of their right to seek other providers if clients object “to the religious character of an organization.”
Still, Cristo Rey provided a form to Mid-State Health Network that indicated it would not provide assistance in seeking abortion, contraceptives or gender-altering services.
On May 22, 2026, the state Department of Health and Human Services issued a discontinuation letter to Cristo Rey, effective immediately, due to its “internal policies and procedures.”
Catholic Charities responded on May 27, asking for a stay since an immediate stoppage could harm women and children receiving the services. The group, according to the complaint, also requested details on how exactly its policies and procedures prevented the agency from providing treatment.
The group received no response. Catholic Charities, the suit said, has decided to cover the costs of continuing to provide services to already-established clients.
On Friday, the lawsuit requested the federal court find the state’s actions violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments and issue preliminary and permanent injunctions prohibiting the state from excluding Catholic Charities as a substance abuse service provider.
The suit also asked for compensatory, punitive and nominal damages against the state as well as attorney fees.
eleblanc@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Catholic treatment provider sues state over religious ‘targeting’
Reporting by Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
