Oklahoma
Federal Court Enjoins Enforcement of HHS Contraceptive Mandate Against
Hundreds of Member Employers of the Catholic Benefits Association
Contact: Sean Caine, Director of Communications, Catholic Benefits Association, 410-547-5378 office, 443-857-4372 cell
OKLAHOMA CITY, June 5, 2014 /Christian Newswire/ --
Late on June 4, the United States District Court for the Western
District of Oklahoma ruled that all employer members of the Catholic
Benefits Association are exempt from the Affordable Care Act's
contraceptive/abortifacient mandate ("Mandate"). It also "enjoined and
restrained" the relevant federal departments, "their agents, officers,
and employees, and all other in active concert or participation with
them . . . from any effort to apply or enforce" the Mandate against
members of the Catholic Benefits Association. The Court also
specifically ruled that the over 450 CBA employer members and the almost
2,000 Catholic parishes that are CBA members shall not be liable for
"any penalties, fines and assessments for noncompliance with" the
Mandate. Archbishop William Lori, President of the Catholic Benefits
Association and Archbishop of Baltimore, remarked, "we formed the
Catholic Benefits Association to support Catholic employers in providing
quality, cost-competitive, morally compliant health care benefits for
their employees. Yesterday's decision makes this a reality."
The
CBA's general counsel, Martin Nussbaum, noted "this ruling is
especially gratifying because this lawsuit, alone among the HHS
contraceptive mandate cases, includes three groups of Catholic employers
-- "houses of worship" that are, by regulation, exempt; non-exempt
ministries like colleges, Catholic Charities, and healthcare
institutions; and Catholic-owned for profit businesses." It is also one
of only a few class action suits in this unprecedented situation in
which so many religious groups have sued the federal government because
its Mandate violates their religious beliefs.
In the June 4
ruling, the Court stated that "[b]ecause the CBA's members are so
uniform in their beliefs -- particularly their beliefs that
contraceptives are objectionable -- the Court finds that the CBA can
properly present its members' claims in this case such that the
participation of the individuals members of the CBA is not required." It
is for this reason that the CBA can represent and acquire judicial
relief for its members without the members actually being named in the
complaint.
In March, the CBA and eight other Catholic
organizations, filed the class action lawsuit seeking to protect its
members' exercise of religion by exempting them from the Mandate that
requires them to provide coverage for free contraceptives, abortion
inducing drugs, abortion inducing devices, sterilization, and related
counseling. Archbishop Paul Coakley, the CBA's Vice-President and the
Archbishop of Oklahoma City, explained: "The administration has already
effectively granted exemptions from the Mandate to various employers
whose plans cover more than 130 million employees. We're simply seeking
the same exemption for Catholic employers who have religious objections
to the unjust requirements of the mandate."
Archbishop Coakley
continued: "The Catholic employers involved directly and indirectly in
the Catholic Benefits Association lawsuit care deeply about the health
and well-being of their employees. We are grateful for the ruling, but
continue to pray that our leaders recognize that Catholics, whether
bishops or businessmen, cannot in good conscience provide insurance that
covers drugs and procedures that undermine the dignity of the human
person and the sanctity of human life. Religious freedom entails more
than the right to worship and any contrary legislation must be opposed."
The
named plaintiffs in the CBA lawsuit include The Catholic Benefits
Association, The Catholic Insurance Company, the Archdiocese of Oklahoma
City, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Inc., All
Saints Catholic School in Oklahoma, Archbishop William E. Lori and the
Archdiocese of Baltimore, The Cathedral Foundation in Baltimore, Villa
St. Francis Catholic Care Center in Kansas City, KS, and Good Will
Publishers in North Carolina.
The CBA is an association of
Catholic employers united in their defense of their First Amendment
right to witness to their Catholic faith, through their ministries and
businesses, by providing their employees with life-affirming health care
coverage that complies with Catholic teaching. It serves over 450
Catholic employers, including 8 archdioceses, 15 dioceses, and others.
These employers also include religious orders, local Catholic Charities,
colleges, nursing homes, cemeteries, retreat centers, and medical
facilities. The Catholic Benefits Association serves both non-profit
ministries and for-profit businesses.
The CBA also makes it
possible for Catholic employers -- both nonprofit and for-profit -- to
exercise their religious values through the health coverage they provide
to their employees. To accomplish this, the CBA has formed a
wholly-owned subsidiary, The Catholic Insurance Company and arranged for
health provider networks to assist Catholic employers in providing
comprehensive, quality health care that affirms the dignity of the human
person. The CBA also provides vigorous defense of its members' First
Amendment religious liberty regarding such coverage.
More information about the Catholic Benefits Association, including applications for members, can be found at www.lifeaffirmingcare.com.
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