WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Wednesday denied a request to block part of the federal health care law that requires employee health-care plans to provide insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and similar emergency contraception pills.
Hobby Lobby Stores and a sister company, Mardel Inc., sued the government, claiming the mandate violates the religious beliefs of its owners.
In an opinion, Sotomayor said the
stores fail to satisfy the demanding legal standard for blocking the
requirement on an emergency basis. She said the companies may continue
their challenge to the regulations in the lower courts.
Company officials say they must
decide whether to violate their faith or face a daily $1.3 million fine
beginning Jan. 1 if they ignore the law.
Attorneys for the government have
said the drugs do not cause abortions and that the U.S. has a
compelling interest in mandating insurance coverage for them.
In ruling against the companies
last month, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton said churches and other
religious organizations have been granted constitutional protection from
the birth-control provisions but that "Hobby Lobby and Mardel are not
religious organizations."
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