Contraceptive mandate battle still on

Some states fighting religious exemptions

The Little Sisters of the Poor, who have always been known for their care for the poor elderly, have been in the spotlight for the past six years with their objection to the federal government’s requirement that they provide insurance coverage of contraceptives for their employees.

They hoped the issue was behind them after a new rule was issued in October by the Department of Health and Human Services granting an exemption to the contraceptive mandate for religious nonprofits who oppose the mandate on religious grounds.

But days after the rule was issued,

The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington (CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn)

Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia joined California’s lawsuit to become the first plaintiff group to file a motion for a preliminary injunction seeking to prevent the new exemption rule from going into effect.

This means the Little Sisters of the Poor are going back to court.

Mark Rienzi, senior counsel at Becket, the law firm representing the sisters, said in a Nov. 21 press call that the HHS rule “should have been the end of the story” and the end of a “long and divisive culture war.”

But with these lawsuits in place, he said Becket is preparing to file a brief on behalf of the Little Sisters of the Poor. He also said the sisters want the judge to hear their arguments, noting that the case is more than state’s attorneys general arguing against the federal government.

Rienzi said the sisters will echo what they’ve said all along: that the government doesn’t “need nuns to give out contraceptives” and that they should not be punished for acting in accordance with their faith. He said the cases will be heard in December.

A statement issued by Sister Loraine Marie Maguire, mother provincial of the Little Sisters, based in Denver, said: “We just want to be able to continue our religious mission of caring for the elderly poor as we have for over 175 years. We pray that these state governments will leave us alone and let us do our work in peace.”
Rienzi called the states’ fights “political grandstanding” that is trying to take away rights from religious groups. He also said none of the states has come forward with someone who had contraceptive insurance coverage through an employer before and is now going to lose it.

Author: Catholic News Service

Catholic News Service is the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ news and information service.

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