Politics & Government

Judge: Catonsville Nuns Not Required to Provide Birth Control

The federal government argued that nuns are exempt from Obamacare, and a court agreed.

Obamacare will not force Catonsville nuns to provide free access to birth control, a U.S. District Court judge has ruled.

The Little Sisters of the Poor operates St. Martin's Home in Catonsville and about 30 other homes for the poor and elderly across the country, including in Colorado, where a federal lawsuit was filed on their behalf by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, reports the Baltimore Sun

The nuns argued that because they are not a church, they would not fall under the religious employer exemption for contraceptive coverage and that giving free access to birth control would violate their religious vows.

Find out what's happening in Catonsvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A federal judge agreed with government officials who said that the Little Sisters were exempt from the contraception mandate in the federal health care law.

The issue of how the government would define religious employers has been contentious for religious schools, universities and private businesses like Hobby Lobby, whose case is scheduled to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court next year. 

Find out what's happening in Catonsvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Read the full story on the Baltimore Sun website.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here