Christian college allowed to bypass birth control form

A Christian college doesn't have to fill out a government form that it says would facilitate contraceptive coverage the school considers immoral, the U.S. Supreme Court said.

Over the dissent of its three female justices, the court said Thursday that Wheaton College, a liberal-arts school outside Chicago, can instead inform government officials of its objections in writing.

The majority said the order won't affect the ability of employees and students covered under the college's health plan "to obtain, without cost, the full range of FDA-approved contraceptives." The temporary order applies while the case makes its way through the court system.

The unsigned four-paragraph order comes three days after the court ruled that closely held companies can refuse on religious grounds to offer birth-control coverage to their workers.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the court had effectively rewritten government regulations. The order "allows Wheaton's beliefs about the effects of its actions to trump the democratic interest in allowing the government to enforce the law," she wrote. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan joined the dissent.

The contraceptive-coverage requirements of President Barack Obama's health care law remain contentious even after the Supreme Courts ruling Monday in a case involving three closely held companies.-- Bloomberg News