On Friday, two groups filed separate lawsuits against the Obama administration's mandate requiring most employers -- regardless of their respective religious beliefs -- to offer contraceptives and potential abortion-inducing drugs under their employee insurance plans.
Paul and Henry Griesedieck, who are evangelical Christians, filed their lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mo. As of Friday, 37 lawsuits challenging the mandate have now been filed.
Francis Manion, senior counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice, which is representing the Griesediecks, calls the mandate an "unprecedented" violation of religious liberties.
"Our clients simply want to run their business in a way that doesn't force them to violate their religious beliefs," he said. "For the government to require them to choose between abandoning their beliefs or abandoning their business is both unfair and unconstitutional. We will ask the court in this case to uphold our clients' right of religious liberty in the face of this unwarranted abuse of governmental power."...
