Missouri College Sues Over ACA Contraception Coverage Mandate

Another lawsuit has been filed challenging the Affordable Care Act mandate requiring most health insurance policies to cover contraceptive services. Timed to be filed on Constitution Day, the suit was brought by Missouri's College of the Ozarks, a college that defines one of its goals as fostering the Christian faith. The complaint (full text) in School of the Ozarks, Inc. v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, (WD MO, filed 9/17/2012), says that the College's sincerely held religious beliefs preclude it from providing coverage for elective abortion services, and it considers the FDA approved contraceptives Plan B and Ella to be abortifacients. The suit claims that the mandate violates the College's 1st and 5th Amendment rights, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and the Administrative Procedure Act. The Springfield (MO) News-Leader reports on the press conference held by College president Jerry Davis announcing the filing of the lawsuit. Ozarks First reprints the full text of the College's press release on the lawsuit.