Oklahoma Wesleyan University Plans To Sue Government Over ACA

Oklahoma Wesleyan University is planning to sue the Obama administration, as well as the Department of Health and Human Services and its director over the Affordable Care Act.

Oklahoma Wesleyan University says Obamacare violates its freedom of religious expression. The school's president says the provision requiring coverage of certain kinds of contraceptives is simply unacceptable.

OKWU is an evangelical school, associated with the Wesleyan Church. Its campus proudly displays its mission to follow God's teachings and make scripture a priority. The school's president says it plans to sue the federal government to keep that mission alive.

Everett Piper announced Monday the school is suing over the Affordable Care Act, specifically, over mandates that require employee health plans to include all FDA approved contraceptives.

In an op-ed published on TheOkieBlaze.com, Piper says "...God defines what is living and what is dead..." that women should be "...respected and not treated as toys..." and that abortion rates among African American women has created "...racial genocide..." and it "...must be stopped..."

Piper declined to speak with us, but an attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is filing the lawsuit for OKWU, said the contraceptive mandates force the university to compromise its religious beliefs.

"They believe that the government is putting enormous pressure on them to facilitate the use of these drugs that destroy human life, and thus violate the sixth commandment," said Greg Baylor.

Baylor said the university doesn't have a problem with conventional birth control, it's the morning after pill and the week after pill, he said, that destroys human life. If the university simply drops those pills from its health insurance plans, it would face thousands of dollars in fines.

"If they comply with the mandate, they violate their conscience. If they don't comply with the mandate, they face enormous fines. That's why they're confronting this violation of their religious freedom," Baylor said.

The lawsuit is expected to be filed Thursday in federal court in Tulsa.