From Newsmax (not from the Denver Post): "A Colorado business owned by a Catholic family does not have to comply
with President Barack Obama's new healthcare mandate that private
employers provide employees with insurance coverage of birth control, a
Colorado federal judge ruled on Friday.
U.S. District Judge John Kane in Denver temporarily blocked the
government from the enforcing the contraception requirement against the
religious owners of Hercules Industries Inc, a private manufacturer of
heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment.
The ruling only affects this plaintiff but opens the door for any
company to seek relief on religious grounds. Lawyers for the Department
of Health and Human Services argued that a temporary exemption for
Hercules would interfere with the government's ability to implement the
law. But Kane was not persuaded.
"This harm pales in comparison to the possible infringement upon (the
Newland family's) constitutional and statutory rights," the judge
wrote. He noted that the government had already created numerous
exceptions for religious employers, exempting over 190 million health
plan participants.
The law posed an imminent harm to the company's owners by forcing
them to support contraception, sterilization and abortion in violation
of their religious beliefs or face steep fines, Kane said.
3 comments:
Seems like they're on pretty shaky ground here. Does that mean that businesses can also elect to refuse blood transfusions (Jehovah's Witnesses) and psychiatric treatment (Scientologists).
the people rising up how sweet it is
Hopefully all judges will do the same!
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