Govt appeals judge's contraceptive mandate ruling

(AP) The Obama administration is appealing a judge's order that is temporarily preventing the government from forcing a Christian publishing company to provide its employees with certain contraceptives under the new health care law.

In November, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton granted a preliminary injunction sought by Tyndale House Publishers. The company doesn't want to provide contraceptives such as Plan B and IUDs, which Tyndale equates with abortion. Nothing in Walton's order applied to anyone other than Tyndale.

The Health and Human Services Department and other agencies named in the lawsuit appealed Walton's order on Tuesday.

Tyndale, based in Carol Stream, Ill., says it provides its 260 employees with coverage for some contraceptives. The company and its president and CEO, Mark D. Taylor, filed the lawsuit last year.