The Employer Mandate Lawsuit with Health & Human Services

Early last year, the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) filed the first lawsuit against the HHS Mandate (included in Obamacare) on behalf of a for-profit employer, Frank O’Brien and O’Brien Industrial Holdings (OIH), a holding company based in St. Louis, Missouri.  Obrien, a Catholic, says his religious beliefs provide the framework for the operation of his businesses, which employ 87 people.

The company website states the OIH mission “is to make our labor a pleasing offering to the Lord while enriching our families and society.” As you know, the Mandate requires many employers to provide coverage of abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, sterilization, and related education and counseling in their employee health plans, with no religious exemption or accommodation for business owners who believe that providing such coverage is immoral.

Last November, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, issued an injunction in favor of Frank O’Brien and his business

. This decision, the first victory against the Mandate in the federal courts of appeal, allows Frank O’Brien to continue operating his business according to his religious beliefs pending the appeal of the case.