WASHINGTON–(ENEWSPF)–November 26, 2013. The U.S. Supreme Court announced today that it will hear a challenge from an Oklahoma-based craft supply chain and a Pennsylvania furniture-making company to a federal law that requires employers to provide coverage for contraception in their employee health plans.
The case the court accepted is one of more than 40 in the country in which a for-profit business argues that it should not have to comply with the federal rule on the grounds that it violates the religious beliefs of the business and its owners. There are additional cases brought by non-profit organizations challenging the rule as well.
The American Civil Liberties Union filed a friend-of-the-court brief earlier in the case, and in dozens of others, supporting the rule.
“Everyone has a right to their religious beliefs, but religious freedom does not include the right to impose your beliefs on others,” said Louise Melling, deputy legal director of the ACLU. “It does not mean that businesses can refuse to comply with the law based on their religious beliefs, particularly where that means discriminating against their employees.”
More information on the cases challenging the federal contraceptive coverage mandate is available at:
aclu.org/reproductive-freedom/challenges-federal-contraceptive-coverage-rule.
Source: aclu.org
