“The mandate requires all plaintiffs except the diocese to authorize an insurance provider or third-party administrator to provide the objectionable coverage to their employees, and to take numerous additional steps to ensure that their health plans serve as a conduit for the delivery of that coverage,” said Bishop Paul Etienne.
“I as a
pastor must look to the best interests of the people and ministries of
the Church entrusted to my care. The requirements of the HHS mandate
that these religious organizations, through our group health plan, or
through a third party administrator, provide access to these morally
objectionable services is morally unacceptable.” “In the face of an oppressive law that runs roughshod over the most fundamental of our rights—religious liberty—we find ourselves with no other avenue to follow in order to avoid providing contraceptives and abortifacients—practices that are utterly antithetical to our religious beliefs,” said Kevin Roberts, the college’s president.
“As a historian of the Founding of the United States, I know full well the importance of guarding these freedoms against oppression, which is why I believe that the College has no recourse but to seek a legal injunction.”