by Catholic News Service
The archdiocese of New York has dropped its legal demand that the Obama administration provide documents from the White House staff related to the church's lawsuit against the government's insurance mandate for birth control coverage.
Reuters reported that the archdiocese filed a notice with the U.S. District Court on Monday dropping its request for documents from the administration. In February, the archdiocese subpoenaed the records of White House staff, including those of the president, to use in the archdiocese's lawsuit over the contraceptive mandate in the health insurance law.
On April 4, the White House asked the federal court to toss out the request, saying it was inappropriate and a burden on the administration.
Reuters said the archdiocese's notice did not say why the subpoena was being withdrawn.
The archdiocese is the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit in New York federal court challenging provisions in the Affordable Care Act that would require employers to include coverage of birth control in employees' health insurance plans.
The Catholic church teaches that artificial birth control is a sin. The church maintains that its entities as well as nonreligious employers whose owners say they oppose contraception for moral reasons should not be required to pay for such coverage.
