HHS Mandate Lawsuit Count Reaches 40

The number of lawsuits against the Obama administration over a rule forcing employers to provide insurance covering contraceptives and possible abortifacient drugs reached 40 this week, when a medical supply company in Minnesota filed a complaint on Nov. 5, WORLD News Service reports. Stuart Lind, who owns Annex Medical, Inc., is a Catholic dedicated to "conducting business in a way that is pleasing to God and is faithful to biblical principles and values," according to court documents, and he says the mandate is forcing him to violate his religious beliefs. The Obama administration gave secular businesses until this past August to comply with the mandate, but faith-based organizations, including Catholic hospitals, universities and ministries, have a so-called "safe harbor" extension that gives them until August 2013 to find a way to comply. Annex Medical refuses to adhere to the mandate and will drop its insurance plan altogether by Jan. 31 unless courts provide relief, the law firm stated.