Firearms sight manufacturer targets abortion pill mandate

WASHINGTON — A family business that manufactures sights and scopes for the military, law enforcement, and hunters has filed suit through its Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys against the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate. Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice responded by notifying the court that it will not oppose Michigan-based Trijicon’s request for a court order that would suspend enforcement of the mandate against the company.

The suit joins an ever-growing number of legal challenges to the mandate, a component of Obamacare that forces employers, regardless of their religious or moral convictions, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs and devices, sterilization, and contraception under threat of heavy penalties. It is currently losing in court nationwide. In 25 of 32 cases directly considering requests to block the mandate, courts have issued orders protecting religious freedom, sometimes even without government objection.

“All Americans, including job creators, should be free to honor God and live according to their consciences wherever they are,” said Senior Legal Counsel Matt Bowman. “As the vast majority of courts have found so far, the abortion pill mandate is an excessive burden on the religious freedom that the Constitution recognizes and guarantees to all Americans.”

Trijicon manufactures advanced riflescopes and sights for tactical and sporting applications. The members of the Bindon family who own and operate Trijicon have a long history of running it in accordance with their Christian beliefs, which the family says has resulted in a very loyal and dedicated workforce. As part of its benefits program, Trijicon has historically offered healthcare insurance in a way that is consistent with its life-affirming company values and therefore does not include coverage for abortion and abortion-related services.

The stipulations of the Affordable Care Act would require employers such as Trijicon to provide early abortion-inducing drugs and devices to their employees regardless of whether doing so would violate any of the employers’ religious beliefs.

“My father began this business with the intent of treating our employees and customers in a way that represented his strong Christian faith,” said Trijicon President and CEO Stephen Bindon. “By filing this lawsuit, we are simply trying to retain the culture and values we’ve always promoted here at Trijicon.”

In addition to Trijicon v. Sebelius, filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys and allied attorneys are also litigating 11 other lawsuits against the mandate. The lawsuits represent a large cross-section of Protestants and Catholics who object to the mandate.

• Pronunciation guide: Trijicon (TRIH’-jih-con)

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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