Federal Government Grants Reprieve on HHS Mandate
Over the years we have written repeatedly about Obamacare’s contraception mandate — also called the “HHS Mandate.” The mandate requires employers to pay for contraception and abortion-inducing medication.
Many people find this mandate unconscionable and have sued the federal government in court. While the original mandate included religious exemptions for churches, the exemption was extremely narrow.
On Friday, the federal Department of Justice unveiled its “interim final rule” keeping the mandate in place for the vast majority of employers’ employees, but dramatically expanding the Obama administration’s narrow categories for religious exemption.
This makes it much less likely Americans will be forced to violate their consciences by paying for contraception and drugs that cause abortions.
Congress needs to take steps to make this interim final rule a permanent fixture in federal law. In the meantime, the Trump Administration has given people of faith a reprieve from the Obama Administration’s HHS mandate.