Faith-Based Minnesota Car Dealership Challenges Federal Government's Abortion Pill Mandate

Federal Lawsuit Seeks to Prevent Federal Government From Forcing Christian Businessman to Violate His Beliefs in Order to Comply with Federal Law

HASTINGS, Minn., Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, attorneys from Liberty Institute with assistance from Minnesota attorneys Kathryn Nash and Meghann Kantke filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Hastings, Minnesota car dealerships, Hastings Automotive, Inc. and Hastings Chrysler Center, and owner Doug Erickson for refusing to provide abortion-inducing drugs to their employees. Erickson operates his businesses according to the moral principles of his faith, but the so-called "contraceptive mandate" of Obamacare forces him to violate his religious beliefs.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120523/DC12743LOGO-b)

The lawsuit seeks a preliminary and a permanent injunction to stop the enforcement of the challenged mandate and a declaration that the mandate violates federal constitutional and statutory law. It also seeks relief for the plaintiff's costs and attorneys fees.

"The government should not be able to coerce faith-based, for-profit businesses to violate their religious beliefs," said Jeremy Dys, Senior Counsel for Liberty Institute. "This Mandate illegally and unconstitutionally forces our client to violate his sincerely held religious beliefs that form the very foundation for his work as a businessman."

The lawsuit papers can be downloaded at: http://www.libertyinstitute.org/document.doc?id=128

Liberty Institute is a national nonprofit legal group dedicated to defending and restoring religious liberty across America — in our schools, for our churches, inside our military and throughout the public arena. Liberty's vision is to reestablish religious liberty in accordance with the principles of our Founding Fathers. For information, visit www.LibertyInstitute.org.

SOURCE Liberty Institute