Hobby Lobby request to block health law denied

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Customers walk to a Hobby Lobby store in Dallas Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012. The arts and craft supply company owned by a Christian family asked a judge Thursday, Nov. 1, 2012, to block a portion of the new federal health care law, claiming that mandated coverage for certain birth control violates its religious freedom rights. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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December 20, 2012

Hobby Lobby request to block health law denied

Anonymous From The Associated Press The Enid News and Eagle Thu Dec 20, 2012, 05:18 PM CST

OKLAHOMA CITY — A federal appeals court has denied Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby's request to block a portion of the federal health care law that requires the company provide insurance coverage for emergency contraception pills.

The U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday denied the arts-and-crafts company's request for an injunction while it appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Hobby Lobby's lawsuit says the mandate violates the religious beliefs of its Christian founder and CEO David Green and his family. The Greens say requiring insurance coverage for the birth-control pills known as the "morning-after" and "week-after" pills forces them to either violate their religious beliefs or face hefty fines.

The federal appeals court ruling upheld a district court that found the religious burden to the Green family is indirect.

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