Texas Renews Effort to Fight Contraception Rule

Birth control is now covered under all employers' health plans, but on Friday, Texas renewed its effort to revoke that rule.

Texas, six other states, two individuals and three Catholic organizations filed an appeal to challenge the decision of a federal judge in Nebraska, who dismissed their lawsuit earlier this summer.  

"The Obama Administration is trampling on religious liberty and violating the U.S. Constitution by forcing private citizens and faith-based organizations to purchase health insurance coverage that conflicts with their religious beliefs,” Attorney General Greg Abbott said in a prepared statement. “The very first amendment to our Constitution was intended to protect against this sort of government intrusion." 

The contraception rule that the group seeks to overturn took effect in August.

Catholic-run businesses across the country have been vocally opposed to the rule since it was initially proposed.

But many religious organizations that initially opposed the rule, including Seton Healthcare Family, a nonprofit hospital system that serves 1.8 million Texans, were appeased when President Obama revised the contraception rule to exempt religious organizations. Rather than require employers to include contraception in their health plans, the rule now requires insurance companies to ensure that women who work for exempted religious organizations receive contraceptive coverage.