Notre Dames Stance on Birth Control Highlights Divide

The University of Notre Dame fought in court for five years to limit the government’s ability to push religiously affiliated employers to offer contraception benefits. Now, the university is voluntarily allowing birth-control benefits, exposing a divide among Catholic institutions.

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Notre Dame drew both praise and criticism when officials said earlier this month that the Indiana university would allow birth-control coverage to be offered to employees, their families and students by its plan administrator.

The university said it had pursued its court case primarily to prevent the government from forcing it to accept a compromise designed by then-President Barack Obama’s administration in which contraceptive coverage was included in their health plan but funded and administered by a third-party company.

Paul Browne, a university spokesman, said the university “engaged in the recent lawsuit to protect its freedom to act in accord with its principles.”

“Recognizing, however, the plurality of religious and other convictions among its employees, [the university] doesn’t interfere with the provision of contraceptives that will be administered and funded independently of the university.”

The move drew criticism from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which led the initial campaign against the contraception-coverage requirement and backed the institutions that agreed to sue.

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/notre-dames-stance-on-birth-control-highlights-divide-1511478508