A federal judge refused to issue an injunction blocking enforcement of the law, and a federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld that decision.
The appeals court panel said that Little Sisters of the Poor could opt out of the mandate and that because the group’s health insurance is considered a “church plan,” the Little Sisters would not be subject to fines or penalties for noncompliance.
“Therefore, there is no enforceable obligation … for any of the Plaintiffs to provide any of the objectionable coverage,” the appeals court said.
Lawyers for the Little Sisters filed an 11th-hour appeal to Sotomayor, who granted the temporary injunction.
“We are delighted that the Supreme Court has issued this order protecting the Little Sisters,” said Mark Rienzi, a lawyer with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the Little Sisters in the case.
“The government has lots of ways to deliver contraceptives to people. It doesn’t need to force nuns to participate,” he said in a statement.
Later this year the US Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in two cases testing whether President Obama’s health-care reform law violates the religious rights of for-profit company owners and their corporations by forcing them to provide their employees with certain contraceptives that offend the owners’ religious beliefs.
Article Appeared @http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2014/0101/Justice-Sotomayor-blocks-Obamacare-contraception-mandate-video