Final victory for Bible publisher over Obama admin. abortion-pill mandate

WASHINGTON – A Bible publisher that challenged the Obama administration’s abortion-pill mandate in court has achieved final victory in its lawsuit. A federal district court issued a permanent injunction Wednesday in favor of Tyndale House Publishers and its owners, who are represented by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys. The injunction means the government cannot enforce the mandate against Tyndale House.

The mandate forces employers, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy financial penalties through the Internal Revenue Service.

“Americans should be free to live and work according to their faith without fear of punishment by the government. That includes Bible publishers, who should be free to do business according to the book that they publish,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Matt Bowman. “In America, citizens have always had the freedom to believe, the freedom to express those beliefs, and the freedom to operate their businesses accordingly. The Supreme Court upheld that principle in its Conestoga/Hobby Lobby decision last year, and the district court has rightly done the same.”

ADF attorneys and allied attorneys represented Conestoga Wood Specialties in its victory at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tyndale House, based in Carol Stream, Ill., specifically objects to covering abortifacients. It is the world’s largest privately held Christian publisher of books, Bibles, and digital media and directs 96.5 percent of its profits to religious non-profit causes worldwide. In May 2013, the Obama administration withdrew its appeal of a preliminary injunction that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued in the case, now known as Tyndale House Publishers v. Burwell.

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys and allied attorneys are also litigating numerous other lawsuits against the mandate.

• Pronunciation guide: Bowman (BOH’-min)

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization that advocates for the right of people to freely live out their faith.
 

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