By Gail Finke A new division at the federal Department of Health and Human Services will “restore federal enforcement of our nation’s laws that protect the fundamental and unalienable rights of conscience and religious freedom,” according to HHS Acting Secretary Eric Hargan. Announced Jan. 18, the division is part of …

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The U.S. Supreme Court May 16 sent the Zubick v. Burwell case, which challenges the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive requirement for employers, back to the lower courts. The justices’ unanimous decision, explained in a nine-page order, was based on the information that both sides submitted a week …

By Patricia Zapor Catholic News Service WASHINGTON — In a June 29 order, the Supreme Court continued to shield several Pennsylvania religious institutions from having to provide employees with health care coverage that includes contraceptives. The order in a case filed by the bishops and the Dioceses of Pittsburgh and Erie, …

By Catholic News Service  WASHINGTON — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Oct. 8 urged the federal government “to reconsider” its new rules to allow religious institutions — and potentially some for-profit companies — to opt out of the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act. On Aug. 22, the …

By Adelaide Mena & Matt Hadro Catholic News Agency  WASHINGTON, D.C. — The head of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee has renewed a call for Congressional action after a new report verified the bishops’ repeated warnings of taxpayer-funded abortion in the Affordable Care Act. “This report confirms the U.S. bishops’ …

By Catholic News Service  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has filed a brief with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver indicating it plans to develop an alternative for Catholic and other religious nonprofit employers to opt out of providing federally mandated contraceptives they object to including in …

By Tom Tracy Catholic News Service WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — In the midst of their New Year’s Eve celebration with low-income elderly residents, the Baltimore-based Little Sisters of the Poor learned that the Supreme Court issued an injunction temporarily protecting them from the Affordable Care Act‘s contraceptive mandate.

By Catholic News Service NEW YORK — A spokesman for the New York Archdiocese said the archdiocese “welcomes and applauds” a Dec. 13 ruling by a federal judge granting Catholic organizations in the archdiocese and the neighboring Diocese of Rockville Centre a permanent injunction on having to comply with the …

USCCB Release WASHINGTON—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a “Special Message” at the conclusion of their fall General Assembly, November 13, in Baltimore. USCCB regulations regarding statements and publications define a Special Message as a statement, only issued at general meetings, that the general membership considers appropriate in …

By Catholic News Service & CT Staff WASHINGTON — The Little Sisters of the Poor and a Catholic college are the latest Catholic entities to file a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services over its mandate that most religious employers’ health insurance plans cover contraceptives, sterilization and some abortion-inducing …