Rick Moran
American Thinker
11/2/2012
This is just the first skirmish in a war that will almost certainly end up in the Supreme Court. A Detroit federal judge has ruled that a Catholic business in Michigan doesn’t have to comply with the HHS regulations issued by the Obama administration that require employers to offer health insurance that covers birth control…
…Lawyers for the Department of Health and Human Services argued that granting exceptions for small business owners would interfere with the government’s ability to implement the law. The contraception mandate serves the government’s interests in promoting public health and gender equality, they argued.
The federal government has carved out an exemption from the contraception requirement for religious organizations. Allowing additional relief for Weingartz Supply Co and its 170 employees would not be a much greater burden, the company argued. Cleland agreed with Weingartz…
…Promote “gender equality?” What a novel responsibility that federal government has taken upon itself. The government may “protect” gender equality, as it protects other rights granted by the Constitution. But “promote?” What new and exciting functions our government under Barack Obama has taken on.
Still to come is the suit by the Catholic Bishops which is far more inclusive and deals with hospitals and clinics run by the Catholic Church. This will no doubt be a tougher nut to crack but the federal judge in Detroit has shown the way.
Read the entire article at American Thinker.
