Missouri state rep. is suing the Obama administration to stop his daughters from getting birth control


Missouri State Rep. Paul Joseph Wieland (R) and his wife, Teresa, are suing the Obama administration because it might give their three daughters — two of whom are legal adults — access to free birth control.
The Wielands argue that the government is forcing their family to violate their religious beliefs, thanks to the Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate. They're also citing the Supreme Court's ruling in the Hobby Lobby case as evidence: "The employees are to Hobby Lobby what the daughters are to Paul and Teresa Wieland," Timothy Belz, the Wielands' attorney, told a panel of federal judges.
The Wielands' daughters, who are aged 13, 18, and 19, are all covered by Rep. Wieland's health insurance plan, and the Wielands have expressed concern that their daughters "might get birth control at no additional cost," MSNBC reports.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to Belz, the ACA making contraception more affordable under health care plans is similar to if "the federal government had passed an edict that said that parents must provide a stocked unlocked liquor cabinet in their house whenever they're away for their minor and adult daughters to use, and Mormons came in and objected to that. It is exactly the same situation," he said.
When one of the judges suggested that the Wielands ask their kids to follow their religious beliefs, Belz responded, "Well, we all have high hopes for our kids, that is true. We all expect and want them to obey us, they don't always."
The Wielands currently face the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, after a district court dismissed the case.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot