In response to a motion for preliminary injunction filed by attorneys with the Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project and Thomas More Society, the Federal District Court in Chicago today ordered that the Federal Government may not enforce its contraception mandate on Plaintiffs Triune Health Group and its owners
Triune Health Group and its owners, Christopher and Mary Anne Yep, represented by attorneys with the Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project and Thomas More Society, are among the dozens of employers around the country challenging the HHS required coverage of contraception, sterilization and abortifacients on religious liberty grounds.
The Yeps, devoted Catholics, embrace a belief which is embedded in Triune's mission statement that each individual be "treated with the human dignity and respect that God intended." The Obamacare mandate, administered by HHS and the other federal agencies named in the lawsuit requires the company to provide abortion-related and contraceptive coverage for its employees and their
families, which imposes a gravely oppressive burden on the Yeps' deeply held religious beliefs.
"We applaud the court's decision to enjoin pending further litigation the imposition of these unnecessary and unconstitutional federal regulatory requirements. The federal governments ought not to be able coerce our clients to violate their conscientious convictions in a fashion that is completely at odds with the resounding declarations of our Founding Fathers and our modern Supreme Court jurisprudence," said Samuel B. Casey, Managing Director and General Counsel for the Jubilee Campaign's Law of Life Project. Mr. Casey also had high praise for the Yeps' courage in standing up for their fundamental rights, applauding the Yeps for "taking a stand to defend their right to run their business in a way that does not conflict with their faith and religious free conscience."
Mr. Casey concluded: "The Yeps and their company, Triune Health Group, are far from alone. More than 47 lawsuits like the Yeps' federal suit are pending in the federal courts with some courts granting the preliminary injunctive relief requested and others declining to do so. We are particularly encouraged that the Court today, pending further litigation, enjoined the HHS from applying the federal contraceptive mandate to our client health management company."
The most recent polling data from December 2012 shows Americans support a religious exemption to the HHS contraceptive mandate for individuals and organizations like the Yeps and Triune.
The Obama Administration has defended forcing private employers to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception, with an argument that people of faith forfeit their religious liberties once they opt to engage in business. The Triune case also asserts the primacy of religious liberties and free speech on behalf of a private company and its owners, who view business as a form of religious stewardship and an integral part of their lives as faithful Roman Catholics. By issuing its Order today granting a preliminary injunction that Court has indicated that it believe Triune is likely to prevail on these claims.
Triune Health Group has won public plaudits, not only as "the best" employer for women but also as an outstanding employer for everybody, having also placed very high on Crain's 2012 "Best Place to Work" list.
Source: Illinois Review
