Feds want Catholic school’s lawsuit over birth control dropped

Associated Press

COLUMBUS

A Roman Catholic school’s lawsuit over the federal mandate requiring most employers to cover birth control should be dismissed because the institution hasn’t shown that it faces the immediate threat of harm, the U.S. Justice Department said in a court filing Monday.

Franciscan University of Steubenville and an association of Michigan Roman Catholic dioceses say the mandate violates religious freedom by requiring a Catholic entity such as the university to comply.

President Barack Obama offered to soften the mandate to accommodate religious groups, but U.S. Catholic bishops say the change doesn’t go far enough.