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Contraception Mandate to be Challenged in Court

Alliance Defending Freedom raises constitutional challenge to Obamacare provisions

AP
November 15, 2013

The Alliance Defending Freedom filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Ave Maria School of Law against the Obama administration on Tuesday to challenge the insurance mandate coverage for abortifacients, sterilization, and contraception. Life News reports:

Ave Maria School of Law was founded in 1999 to provide a legal education that is publicly faithful to the authoritative teachings of the Catholic Church. The school’s sincere religious beliefs forbid it from facilitating the provision of abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, or sterilization through health insurance coverage it offers to its employees.

"The question is whether the government can pick and choose what faith is, who the faithful are, and when and where they can exercise that faith," added Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot. "The cost of religious freedom for Americans and organizations across the country that face this mandate is severe. The potential for massive fines and lawsuits could shut down religious educational institutions as well as private employers with similar religious convictions."

The lawsuit,  Ave Maria School of Law v. Sebelius, filed with the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, argues that the mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as well as the First and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Roger Gannam, one of nearly 2,300 attorneys allied with Alliance Defending Freedom, is local counsel in the case.

Published under: Abortion , Obamacare