College Welcomes Settlement Freeing It from Constraints of HHS’ Contraceptive Mandate

In early 2014, Wyoming Catholic College joined with the Diocese of Cheyenne in its complaint seeking an injunction against the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s “unprecedented mandate requiring religious organizations to facilitate coverage for products and procedures in direct conflict with their religious beliefs.”

On October 6, 2017, the federal government announced new regulations that provide broad protections to religious organizations opposed to the contraceptive mandate, and in an October 20, 2017 press release (pdf), the Diocese announced that it had reached a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice, ending its five-year battle against the now-infamous “contraceptive mandate.” In the release, Bishop Steven Biegler said that “this final outcome is a victory for religious liberty. We are pleased that the case has been resolved and thankful this unnecessary burden of the prior regulation mandating contraceptive coverage has come to its conclusion.”

Wyoming Catholic College’s president, Dr. Glenn Arbery, echoed the Bishop’s sentiments. “It has been a long and at times, an anxious journey,” he said, “and we’re grateful to have this battle behind us at last. As an institution that greatly values its authentic Catholic identity, the mandate’s direct attack on one of the College’s most foundational principles—the ability to pursue and to uphold our Catholic beliefs without compromise—was one that we could never accept. We are happy that the administration was eventually able to recognize this fact, and are especially happy that standing up for and arguing in defense of one’s principles still has the power to persuade, even in such a politically-charged climate.”