Steubenville, Ohio, May 15, 2012 / 23:01 pm
Rather than compromise its Catholic values by complying with the federal contraception mandate, Franciscan University has decided to drop its student health insurance.
According to the school's website, Franciscan University of Steubenville chose to cut student health insurance altogether instead of participating “in a plan that requires us to violate the consistent teachings of the Catholic Church on the sacredness of human life.”
The small Catholic university in Ohio currently excludes contraception, sterilization and abortifacients from its student and employee health insurance plans. If enacted into law, however, the federal contraception mandate would change that.
The mandate, originally introduced in an Aug. 2011 interim rule, requires health insurance plans to cover contraception – including drugs that cause abortion – and sterilization free of charge.