Government attorneys have appealed two rulings by federal judges on challenges by religious organizations to contraceptive coverage requirements in the new health care law.
Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice are asking the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to review decisions by district judges granting a preliminary injunction in favor of Geneva College and a permanent injunction for various Roman Catholic organizations.
The Catholic organizations and Geneva, a school about 30 miles northwest of Pittsburgh that is affiliated with the Reformed Presbyterian Church, argue that certain types of birth control violate their religious beliefs.
Under the law, religious nonprofits can avoid paying for the coverage by certifying that they object on moral grounds, but a third-party insurer must then provide coverage and seek federal reimbursement.
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