Today, Americans United dismissed our lawsuit challenging harmful rules issued by the Trump administration in October 2017 that allow employers and universities to cite religious or moral objections in order to deny employees and students health insurance coverage of contraception. Although the rules still remain in effect, our plaintiffs will have access to birth control due to some fortuitous events.
Three plaintiffs are students at the University of Notre Dame. Although the university previously went to court to challenge the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that student health insurance plans cover contraception, the school recently announced that it will now allow students access to contraception. In other words, it does not plan to take advantage of the new rules.
Another plaintiff has just switched jobs and will have contraception coverage through her new employer.
While our plaintiffs emerged victorious, countless other women will be harmed by the new rules. And in the future, if Notre Dame flip-flops and decides that it will take advantage of the new rules to deny students contraception coverage, you can be sure that we will be back in court. Because religious freedom is about fairness. And it’s not fair for an employer or university to deny women access to crucial healthcare.
Our lawsuit was filed along with our partners at the National Women’s Law Center and Dentons LLP.