The University of Notre Dame on Tuesday sued the Obama administration over a federal mandate that its health insurance plans for students and staffers cover birth control.
The Roman Catholic university filed its lawsuit at US District Court in South Bend, Ind. It claims the mandate violates Notre Dame’s freedom to practice religion without government interference.
The school says the birth control mandate violates the church’s teaching that prohibits any artificial contraception.
The Obama administration promotes the law’s provision of a range of free preventive care, including birth control, as a key benefit of the health care overhaul. The Supreme Court recently agreed to consider two cases in which business have objected to covering birth control for employees on religious grounds.