COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Two Catholic business owners in Ohio say a requirement for contraception coverage contained in the federal health care overhaul contradicts their religious beliefs and violates their constitutional rights.
An anti-abortion legal group sued the federal government Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., on behalf of businessmen Francis Gilardi Jr. and Philip Gilardi. The brothers run produce processing and transportation businesses in Sidney, Ohio, and have about 400 employees.
The legal group says the Gilardis have excluded contraceptives, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs from their company health insurance for years but must provide that coverage later this year or face crippling fines under the health care rule.
President Barack Obama's administration has said its goal is giving women access to important care, not limiting religious freedom.
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