Domino's Founder Sues Government Over Health Care Contraception Mandate
The owner and founder of a popular national pizza chain recently filed a lawsuit against the federal government to stop being forced to provide contraception mandated by the president's health care law.
Tom Monaghan, who has described himself as a devout Roman Catholic, stated that contraception in general is not part of healthcare, but rather a "gravely immoral" practice.
The lawsuit was filed on Friday in federal court and also lists a Michigan office park complex known as Domino's Farms that Monaghan owns as a plaintiff, according to Associated Press reports.
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Employees that work for Monaghan are provided health insurance, but that coverage excludes contraception and abortion services for employees. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act requires employers of a certain size to provide health insurance that includes contraception coverage or be subject to a fines for each violation.
Obama has repeatedly stated that the new health care law that includes this type of mandate protects women health by giving them access certain health coverage.
Monaghan maintains that the new health care law violates his rights by impeding on his religious freedom and forcing him to provide a service that is in conflict with his religious beliefs. He is battling in court so that a judge may nullify the mandate. Several well-known businesses around the country have also filed similar lawsuits over the new health care law.
Christian crafts retailer Hobby Lobby previously requested a preliminary injunction on the health care mandate. David Green, the company's Christian owner, says the mandate would violate their religious beliefs because it forces the business to provide insurance covering "abortion-inducing" drugs such as the morning-after pill.
Hobby Lobby became the first evangelical employer to challenge the Obama administration's Health and Human Services contraception mandate after it filed a lawsuit in September. The Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby is one of the world's largest crafts retailers, with 500 stores in over 40 states with over 13,000 full-time employees.
