OKLAHOMA CITY, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- A filing in Oklahoma City federal court says an injunction won by Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., over paying for employees' contraceptives, will be challenged.
Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services filed a notice Tuesday stating the government would appeal July's ruling to the 10th Circuit Court of appeals in Denver.
Hobby Lobby, a retail chain of hobby supply stores headquartered in Oklahoma City, was granted the preliminary injunction against a part of the Affordable Care Act while the company's court case challenging provisions of the healthcare reform law is ongoing.
The (Oklahoma City) Oklahoman noted the injunction has allowed the arts and crafts company to avoid millions of dollars in fines for refusing to cover the cost of contraceptives for employees.
Company founder and CEO David Green and his family are reluctant to pay for some types of contraceptives for their employees because they consider the drugs a form of abortion, a conflict with the family's religious beliefs, the newspaper reported Thursday.
Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the nonprofit Becket Fund for Religious liberty, which represents Hobby lobby in the court case, said about the challenge, "What is odd about it is that the 10th Circuit has already decided about 99 percent of this case. It's difficult to see why appealing that order is an effective tactic."
