Evangelical College Joins Suits on Contraceptive Mandate

Wheaton College in Illinois has become the first evangelical institution to sue the Obama administration over the mandate that religious institutions provide employees with health insurance that covers contraceptive services.

So far, mostly Catholic organizations have filed suit over the new rule from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Wheaton, a Protestant institution, announced Wednesday that it had joined with the Catholic University of America in filing suit in federal court in the District of Columbia, Fox News reported.

"In this case, we recognize we have common cause with the Catholic University of America and other Catholic institutions in defending religious liberty," Wheaton President Philip Graham Ryken said.

The Catholic institutions are objecting to all of the contraceptive coverage requirements. Wheaton is suing over a provision in the Department of Health and Human Services that mandates coverage of abortion-inducing drugs.

“We're very clear on the sanctity of life, and this insurance mandate goes against our conscience," Ryken said, according to Fox.