Louisiana College sues over federal birth-control rule

A Baptist college in Pineville is suing the federal government to block enforcement of a requirement that religious schools and hospitals provide free birth control as part of their insurance package for employees. The federal lawsuit filed in Alexandria by the Alliance Defense Fund, on behalf of Louisiana College, claims the school’s religious freedoms are violated by new rules requiring contraception coverage. “People of faith shouldn’t be punished by the government for following their beliefs when making decisions for themselves or their organizations,” Kevin Theriot, ADF senior counsel, is quoted as saying in The (Alexandria) Town Talk. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Labor Department Secretary Hilda Solis and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner are named as defendants in the Louisiana suit. The Christian civil rights group says it plans a similar suit on behalf of a Pennsylvania college. Republican lawmakers in some states have also filed bills that would allow insurance companies to ignore the provision, which is part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Read the full story here.