WASHINGTON – Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor ordered a delay Tuesday in the enforcement of the birth control mandate in the Affordable Care Act.
According to a Supreme Court document, several requests for the Supreme Court to delay enforcement of the contraceptive mandate were brought forward by Catholic groups seeking the delay. The groups said that the birth control mandate violates their religious beliefs by forcing them to support contraception. Fines could be imposed if the law is not followed.
The ruling temporarily blocks the federal government from enforcing against applicants the contraceptive coverage requirements imposed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, pending the receipt of a response from the federal government. The response is due Friday, January 3, 2014, by 10 a.m.
According to scotusblog.com, the Court has already agreed to hear constitutional challenges to the Affordable Care Act’s mandate on birth control and other pregnancy-related services, in the case of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores.