OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal judge has granted nearly 200 Catholic employers an injunction to temporarily prevent the U.S. government from forcing them to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives.
The Catholic Benefits Association filed a lawsuit in March alleging that a provision of the Affordable Care Act forced them to violate their religious objections to contraception and abortion-inducing drugs.
A government attorney declined to comment Thursday while Catholic officials praised a ruling by U.S. District Judge David Russell that granted an injunction that exempts members from any fines or penalties arising from not complying with the provision while their objections are litigated.
The association — which includes archdioceses, an insurance company and a nursing home across almost 2,000 Catholic parishes nationwide — believes in the Catholic teaching that their ministries should include health care to their employees. But members “also believe in the Catholic teaching that any artificial interference with the creation and nurture of new life is wrong,” Russell said.
“The harm posed to these plaintiffs absent relief is quite tangible — they will either face severe monetary penalties or be required to violate their religious beliefs,” he said.
Catholic officials celebrated the decision.
“The administration has already effectively granted exemptions from the mandate to various employers whose plans cover more than 130 million employees,” Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul S. Coakley said in a statement. “We’re simply seeking the same exemption for Catholic employers who have religious objections to the unjust requirements of the mandate.”
The owners of Hobby Lobby won a favorable ruling in a similar lawsuit in the same federal court and at the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
