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Nashville Catholic Diocese Pleased with Contraception Mandate Injunction

dioceseofnashville.com/

MURFREESBORO, Tenn.  (AP/WMOT) — The Catholic Diocese of Nashville, and religious organizations nationwide, appear to have won round- one in their efforts to block the contraception coverage mandate in President Barack Obama's health care law.

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, which heard the Nashville Diocese lawsuit, voted 2-1 earlier this week to grant a preliminary injunction against government enforcement of the mandate pending a full appeal.

Rick Musacchio is a spokesman for the diocese.

“This law is really about choosing between law and conscience. We’re encouraged that we’ve gotten a stay at this point and look forward to our case working its way through the legal process.”

The Obama Administration recently announced rules changes that would exempt most religious institutions from the contraception mandate, but Musacchio says some church affiliated service organizations are still subject to the law.

“There’s just no way to separate the faith of the church and the works of faith that the church does through entities like Catholic charities.”

The Supreme Court has also thrown a hitch into President Obama's new health care law.

Earlier this week, Justice Sonia Sotomayor blocked implementation of the contraceptive coverage requirement.

Sotomayor acted on a request from an organization of Catholic nuns in Denver, and gave government officials until Friday to respond to her order.