Sixteen states have agreed to support 3 Christian universities in their challenge to the contraception mandate under the Affordable Care Act.
Under the ACA's mandate, the Christian schools are being forced to expand their insurance plan coverage to include 14 kinds of contraception while the schools currently only offer 10, according to the Becket Fund and Fox News.
Houston Baptist University, East Texas Baptist University, and Westminster Theological Seminary initially received exemption from the mandate when a federal judge ruled in their favor in December 2013. However, an appellate judge overturned the ruling in April 2015, asserting that the contraception mandate is not burdensome on their religious freedom.
The 16 states-- Georgia, Louisiana, Montana, Ohio, South Dakota, Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia-- filed an amicus brief in favor of the three schools on Monday.
"This strong show of support for HBU and ETBU (and Westminster Theological Seminary) demonstrates just how important it is that the Supreme Court address the impact of the HHS mandate, particularly on religious groups," legal counsel at the Becket Fund Diana Verm said in a statement.
Other organizations and groups, including the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Christian and Missionary Alliance Foundation, the Alliance Community for Retirement Living, and the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities have also filed amicus briefs on behalf of the three Christian universities.
