2015 Annual Conference – Law, Religion, and Health in America

May 8 – 9, 2015

Religion and medicine have historically gone hand in hand, but increasingly have come into conflict in the U.S. as health care has become both more secular and more heavily regulated.  Law has a dual role here, simultaneously generating conflict between religion and health care, for example through new coverage mandates or legally permissible medical interventions that violate religious norms, while also acting as a tool for religious accommodation and protection of conscience.

This conference, and anticipated edited volume, will aim to: (1) identify the various ways in which law intersects with religion and health care in the United States; (2) understand the role of law in creating or mediating conflict between religion and health care; and (3) explore potential legal solutions to allow religion and health care to simultaneously flourish in a culturally diverse nation.

Special sessions include:

• Thursday, May 7, pre-conference session on the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision
• Friday, May 8, Keynote: Douglas Laycock, University of Virginia School of Law – Religious Liberty, Health Care, and the Culture Wars
• Saturday, May 9, Plenary Session: Adèle Keim, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and Gregory Lipper, Americans United for Separation of Church and State – The Contraceptives Coverage Mandate Litigation

 A full agenda is now available on our website. 

The conference is free and open to the public, but space is limited and registration is required. REGISTER ONLINE.

Pre-conference session co-sponsored by the Petrie-Flom Center and the Ambassador John L. Loeb Initiative on Religious Freedom and Its Implications at the Harvard Kennedy School Center for American Political Studies.

The full conference is supported by the Oswald DeN. Cammann Fund.