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Catholic diocese sues over birth control

The Plan B emergency contraceptive is seen in an undated handout photo.(UPI Photo/Handout)
The Plan B emergency contraceptive is seen in an undated handout photo.(UPI Photo/Handout) | License Photo

NASHVILLE, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The Roman Catholic diocese of Nashville has asked a federal judge to bar the enforcement of the new requirement that health insurance cover contraception.

A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 30, The (Nashville) Tennessean reported. The requirement, included in President Obama's affordable healthcare plan, is set to take effect next year.

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The mandate has already passed one court test. A federal judge in St. Louis ruled late Friday that the mandate does not violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

At a status conference Tuesday, Magistrate Judge Clifton Knowles suggested an injunction is not necessary because religious institutions have been granted a one-year delay. A lawyer for the church said that some Catholic institutions have found they cannot get rid of contraception coverage because insurance carriers must also provide it.

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