Christian Universities File Lawsuit To Fight Federal Healthcare Law

Four Christian universities in Oklahoma have united to fight federal healthcare laws.

Earlier this week, Oklahoma Wesleyan University announced it planned to sue the government, over its mandate to provide certain types of contraception.

9/17/2013 Related Story: Oklahoma Wesleyan University Plans To Sue Government Over ACA

That lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in Oklahoma City.  Southern Nazarene, Oklahoma Baptist and Mid-America Christian universities joined in the suit.

Complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma

Alliance Defending Freedom, who is representing the four universities argues the mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as well as the First and Fifth amendments to the U.S. Constitution.  They say the penalties for not providing the contraceptives would cripple their operations.

Alliance Defending Freedom news release

OWU President Dr. Everett Piper issued the following statement after Friday's filing:

"Oklahoma Wesleyan University is filing suit because we believe whether you are Catholic or Jewish or whether you are Mormon, Methodist, Mennonite or Muslim that you should be free to practice your religion.  We believe all women should have the religious freedom to not pay for a drug they find immoral and will never use. We are filing suit because we believe God is God and the government is not."