OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a request by Hobby Lobby Stores to block part of the new federal health care law that requires it to provide the morning-after and week-after birth control pills.
U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton handed down the ruling Monday in U.S. District Court.
The Oklahoma City-based arts and craft supply company sued the government in September and asked for an injunction preventing enforcement of portions of the law. Its Christian owners say they believe use of morning-after and week-after birth control pills are tantamount to abortion because they prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman's womb.
But in a 28-page decision, Heaton ruled that Hobby Lobby is a secular company and its owners have not shown that the regulations would burden their religious beliefs.