Christian radio broadcaster and president of Family Talk, James Dobson. (Photo: Denver Post)
Christian radio broadcaster James Dobson has been granted a temporary injunction, which, for now will give his ministry a reprieve from the federal government forcing them to include the morning-after pill in its health insurance as part of the ObamaCare contraception mandate.
A federal judge in Denver granted the injunction Thursday.
Dobson filed the lawsuit back in December, arguing the contraception mandate included in the Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare, forces him to provide specific contraception that violates the his religious beliefs. The Colorado Springs-based ministry, Family Talk, will now be a part of a movement involving other, larger legal challenges currently being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The court is now considering the case brought by Hobby Lobby and other employers. On March 25, the high court heard arguments in the long-awaited Hobby Lobby contraception case, which is the highest-profile lawsuit over ObamaCare since the Supreme Court narrowly upheld the law in 2012.
“This is about whether the federal government is forcing people to violate their own faith,” said Texas Senator Ted Cruz, while joining activists.
A recent survey found that the majority of Americans oppose the contraception mandate imposed on businesses by the president’s health care law. While 51 percent oppose the idea of mandating businesses to provide contraception, just 38 percent say they agree with it. A plurality, 49 percent, said they favor a religious exemption from the mandate in a separate survey.
Dobson is the founder and president of Family Talk, a ministry with a nationally syndicated radio show, newsletter and website. Prior to founding Family Talk, Dobson founded the conservative Focus on the Family ministries, which he left in 2010 for Family Talk. According to he lawsuit filings, the ministry has 28 full-time employees.
