Faith leaders connected to the Southern Christian Coalition, a group of Christian leaders and followers who advocate for policy based in theology, are calling on Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee to stop the state’s role in a federal lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act.
In a Monday afternoon news conference, they appealed to Lee’s public image as a Christian, stating the governor should uphold the Christian value of helping the poor, something they said the ACA does. The governor should stop Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery from continuing the state’s involvement in the lawsuit, they said.
Lee’s office did not respond to request for comment Monday.
The Rev. Matt Steinhauer, pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Lebanon, Tennessee, said destroying the ACA risks the health and well-being of thousands of Tennessee residents.
“There is no reason that people living in the greatest and richest nation in the world should have their health care rationed based on their income, which is exactly the way the [health care] market worked without the Affordable Care Act,” Steinhauer said.