Catholic college sues HHS over contraception mandate

November 14, 2011

Belmont Abbey College, a Benedictine college in western North Carolina, has sued the federal government in an effort to prevent the implementation of a mandate requiring private health insurance plans to cover contraception and sterilization.

“A monk at Belmont Abbey may preach on Sunday that pre-marital sex, contraception, and abortions are immoral, but on Monday, the government would force the same monk to pay for students to receive the very drugs and procedures he denounces,” said Hannah Smith, senior legal counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. “This is much worse than an unfunded mandate; it is a monk-funded mandate.”

According to the Becket Fund, Belmont Abbey College will face a $140,000 fine if it chooses to drop health insurance coverage for its employees.

 

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Further information:

• Belmont Abbey College Sues the Federal Government over New Obamacare Mandate (Becket Fund)
• Belmont Abbey College v. Sebelius (Becket Fund)