Americans United filed a brief in the U.S. Supreme Court today stating that the court should protect student and staff access to contraception at the University of Notre Dame. AU represents a student who has medical coverage through the Catholic university and stands to lose access to birth control should the school receive further exemptions to the ACA contraception mandate.
From the the press release:
In a brief filed today on behalf of a Notre Dame student who seeks access to contraceptive coverage, Americans United informed the high court that the University of Notre Dame’s own words and actions indicate it does not believe its free exercise of religion is actually burdened by requesting the accommodation offered to those with religious objections to the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) contraceptive-coverage regulations; the accommodation requires third-party providers to offer contraceptive coverage to employees and students.
“Even as Notre Dame’s lawyers challenge the accommodation in court, Notre Dame’s leadership admits that there is no burden on the university’s religious exercise,” said Americans United Senior Litigation Counsel Gregory M. Lipper. “This lawsuit is designed to do one thing and only one thing: prevent women—including our client, Jane Doe—from receiving contraceptive coverage to which they are entitled by law.”