43 CATHOLIC INSTITUTIONS FILE 12 SEPARATE LAWSUITS AGAINST OBAMA’S BIRTH CONTROL RULE

The University of Notre Dame, Catholic University of America, the Archdiocese of Michigan, and the Archdiocese of New York have filed a lawsuit against an Obama administration regulation requiring employers and insurers to offer preventing health services — including contraception — without additional cost sharing. The suit,one of 12 filed Monday, argues that the requirement violates the Catholic institutions’ religious freedom– even though regulators have includes an accommodation for religious organizations. Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards has called the challenges “unbelievable” and claimed, “This isn’t a religious or political issue – it’s a medical issue, and that’s where we should keep it.” An overwhelming majority of Americans — and Catholics — support the coverage rule.

Update:

Ian Millhiser points out that eight years ago, a similar case against contraceptive access “earned barely any support even on one of the most Republican courts in the country.”