As the country awaits the Supreme Court’s decisions in Hobby Lobby and Conestoga regarding the Obamacare contraception mandates, related cases are making their way through circuit courts around the country.
Priests and the Contraception Mandate “Opt Out”
While the Supreme Court will decide the fate of for-profit, secular companies, the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate already accommodates non-profit organizations with religious objections to the law. The organization must simply fill out a self-certification form stating a religious objection, and the organization will be exempt from the mandate.
Self-Certification Review by Court of Appeals
In December, the District Court for the District of Columbia granted the Government’s motion to dismiss all of the plaintiffs’ claims. Last Thursday, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals became the first circuit court to hear the case on the merits (other circuits have only decided whether to grant an injunction), says World Magazine. While National Director of Priests for Life Fr. Frank Pavone characterizes the case as “a battle of biblical proportions,” many see it as simply another attempt to prevent women from accessing affordable health care.
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