DENVER (BP) -- A federal judge has handed opponents of the Obama
administration's abortion/contraceptive mandate their first victory,
ruling in favor of a private business whose owners are devout Catholics.
It
was the first time a federal judge had ruled against the mandate, which
requires employers to purchase insurance plans that cover
contraceptives, including ones that can cause chemical abortions. Those
drugs, often called morning-after pills and emergency contraceptives,
come under various names, including Plan B and ella.
There currently are about 24 lawsuits seeking to overturn the mandate. Many of the suits involve religious organizations.
The mandate was issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
In
his Friday (July 27) ruling, Judge John L. Kane of the U.S. District
Court of Colorado ruled that the business -- Colorado-based Hercules
Industries -- would suffer "irreparable harm" absent a preliminary
injunction. The business is self-insured. The lawsuit now will proceed
on an expedited basis.
Although the injunction applies only to
Hercules Industries, it eventually could have a more far-reaching
impact. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is representing the
company.
"This lawsuit seeks to ensure that Washington
bureaucrats cannot force families to abandon their faith just to earn a
living," ADF attorney Matt Bowman said in a statement. "Americans don’t
want politicians and bureaucrats deciding what faith is, who the
faithful are, and where and how that faith may be lived out."
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