Students Sue U. Notre Dame for Restricting Access to Abortion Inducing Contraceptives

Students Sue U. Notre Dame for Restricting Access to Abortion Inducing Contraceptives

This should not be controversial. Notre Dame is a Catholic school and the church is quite clear on this issue.

The Washington Post reports:

Students sue University of Notre Dame for restricting access to some birth control

Natasha Reifenberg felt anger, frustration and confusion upon learning her access to contraceptives would be limited. The realization came in February, when the University of Notre Dame announced it would deny access to those contraceptives it says are “abortion-inducing.”

That’s why Reifenberg and three students sued the Catholic university Tuesday. The lawsuit alleges that the new policy is a violation of federal law and the First and Fifth amendments. The Indiana university said its decision was based on moral and religious convictions.

Notre Dame’s health-care plan will allow patrons to pay for contraceptives that do not “permanently change the human body to prevent pregnancy,” according to university spokesman Paul J. Browne. The institution will cover hormonal IUDs, “oral contraceptives, injectables, hormonal patches, and vaginal rings,” according to its website. Browne said the new rule will impact 8 percent of the undergraduates, approximately 60 percent of graduate students and employees and their dependents covered by the plan.

The policy change came four months after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced it would rescind an Obama-era rule that required insurers to provide contraceptives to patrons at no cost. The mandate is still in effect, however, because of an injunction in two federal courts.

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