RESTON, VA – Today, the Media Research Center (MRC) announced that it entered into an Agreed Order of Dismissal with the government ending its lawsuit to block enforcement of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate, which forces people of faith to subsidize health insurance plans that include abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization.
The Agreed Order of Dismissal confirms that there is no imminent threat to the MRC from the government, and leaves the MRC free to reopen the suit should the government challenge the MRC’s self-declared exemption in the future. With the Agreed Order of Dismissal and through its pleading, the government affirmatively states that it is not now enforcing, and has no plans to penalize or enforce, the contraceptive mandate against the MRC.
The MRC contends that under ACA rules it has self-certified that it is exempt from the mandate. The MRC is the first organization that asked the court to affirm its "self-certification."
For nearly three decades, the MRC has been the nation’s premier defender of pro-life views and Judeo-Christian values from attacks by the liberal media. Under the First Amendment, the MRC and its employees have the right to practice and abide by their faith in their everyday lives, including in the operations of their mission-oriented non-profit organization.
“The Agreed Order of Dismissal is a major victory not only for the MRC, but any organization that believes in freedom of religion and the conscience rights of individuals to operate their enterprises free from the threat of government reprisal,” said MRC Founder and President Brent Bozell. “With this agreement, the MRC and its employees will continue to live and work according to our values and our firmly held belief that all human life is sacred.”
###