Florida's Ave Maria University Sues HHS Over Contraception Mandate

Naples-based Ave Maria University announced Tuesday that it is suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services over the Obama administration's controversial requirement to provide contraception coverage.

The lawsuit is the fourth in a series of legal challenges filed by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Arguing that the HHS mandate facilitates drugs that are in violation of religious beliefs, the nonprofit legal foundation previously sued on behalf of EWTN, the Catholic TV network; Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic liberal arts school; and Colorado Christian University, an evangelical school in Denver.

Ave Maria, a conservative Catholic university founded by Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, is headed by president Jim Towey.