Judge Blocks Religious Exemption to Birth Control Coverage

A federal district court in Philadelphia Aug. 13 struck down a religious conscience rule implemented by the first Trump administration exempting employers with religious or moral concerns from having to provide their employees with insurance coverage for contraceptives and other drugs or procedures to which they have an objection.

The Little Sisters of the Poor, defendants in the suit, are expected to appeal.

In a nationwide ruling, U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia found the rule, which expanded the parameters for the types of nonprofits that could use the exception, were not necessary to protect the conscience rights of religious employers.

The nuns will appeal the ruling “in the coming weeks,” said Becket, the religious liberty law firm representing the Little Sisters of the Poor in their ongoing legal efforts over their objections to paying for abortifacient drugs, sterilizations and contraceptives in their employee health plans.