A federal district court ruled in favor of Hercules Industries, a Denver-based HVAC manufacturer and distributor owned by a Catholic family, issuing a permanent injunction exempting the company from enforcement of the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate.
The mandate, which is part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as the Health Care Law or Obamacare), requires group health plans to include all Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved contraceptive methods, sterilization procedures, and patient education and counseling for all women with reproductive capacity. This includes the FDA-approved Plan B, also known as the “morning-after pill,” ulipristal acetate, or the “week-after pill,” and various other intrauterine devices (IUDs).