Court deals new blow to birth-control mandate

[Geee]

The Hill:

A federal court on Friday granted almost 200 evangelical ministries relief from the Affordable Care Act’s so-called birth control mandate.

 

The ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma is the latest in a series of legal blows to the healthcare law’s requirement that workers be offered contraception as part of their employers' insurance coverage.

 

Under the ruling, 187 non-exempt religious groups that offer insurance through GuideStone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention are now protected from the mandate while their case proceeds.

 

“This is an overwhelming victory for GuideStone and the nearly 200 plaintiffs in this class-action lawsuit,” said Adèle Keim, an attorney for GuideStone. “Today’s ruling will allow hundreds of Baptist ministries to continue preaching the Gospel and serving the poor this Christmas, without laboring under the threat of massive fines.”