The Supreme Court has temporarily halted Obamacare's controversial contraception mandate for some Catholic groups in Pennsylvania that argued they were being forced to facilitate "moral evil."
In a late-night order Wednesday, Justice Samuel Alito Jr. blocked a federal appeals court ruling and ordered the government to respond by Monday,
the National Law Journal reports.
The Catholic nonprofits in Erie and Pittsburgh argued that by opting out of the Obamacare mandate, they must sign a form authorizing their insurance administrators to provide the coverage.
"Signing such a form or letter facilitates moral evil," the groups argued, the National Law Journal reports. "This is true whether or not applicants pay for the objectionable coverage."
Alito's order halted a February ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit that decided the opt-out form didn't stop the nonprofits from exercising their religion.
Under the birth-control mandate, companies and organizations are fined if they don't agree to cover at least some of the costs of their employee’s birth control. Churches and other houses of worship are exempt, but the mandate covers religious hospitals, charities, and universities, which are now fighting the law in court,
The Hill notes.
The nation's high court has issued four rulings instructing the government to exempt certain companies or organizations with a religious background — such as arts-and-crafts retailer
Hobby Lobby — from the mandate.
Justices will consider a similar case during a conference next week, which concerns Catholic charities from Tennessee and Michigan, The Hill reports.
Last month, the Supreme Court struck down a lower court’s ruling requiring the
University of Notre Dame to follow the birth control mandate.
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