Federal Judge Grants Injunction In Oklahoma Universities' Health Care Lawsuit

A federal judge says four Oklahoma Christian universities don't have to provide insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and other contraceptives as a lawsuit challenging the health care mandate is pending in court.

The preliminary injunction granted Monday by U.S. District Judge Stephen P. Friot is the latest decision preventing the government from enforcing the federal health care law's requirement that birth control be covered by insurance.

Judge Stephen Friot's ruling

Monday's ruling affects Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, Mid-America Christian University in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Gregory S. Baylor issued the following statement in reaction to the judge's ruling.

"All Americans should oppose unjust laws that force people--under threat of punishment--to give up their fundamental freedoms and act contrary to their beliefs. That's no different for these Christian colleges, which simply want to abide by the very faith they espouse and teach. The court has rightfully suspended the Obamacare abortion pill mandate against these schools while their case moves forward. The government should not punish people of faith for making decisions consistent with that faith."

The four universities argued that providing insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and certain other contraceptives violated religious beliefs embraced by the institutions.

9/20/2013 Related Story: Christian Universities File Lawsuit To Fight Federal Healthcare Law

The Associated Press contributed to this report.