Last week, to the surprise of conservatives and the chagrin of Obamacare fanatics, the Trump administration announced several broad exemptions to the Department of Health and Human Services mandate, one of the most controversial aspects of healthcare set in place during the Obama administration. Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate forced businesses, churches, and other non-profit organizations to provide contraception for their female employees, though it meant violating their religious beliefs. This case is unique because it addresses facets of religious liberty, healthcare, and government responsibilities.

This new HHS mandate, which is only an interim rule, provides an exemption for religious groups, including the Little Sisters of the Poor and other religious charities, while maintaining the existing federal contraceptive mandate for most employers. This decision follows with the Supreme Court’s ruling last year in Zubik v. Burwell, one of the most well known religious liberty cases of the last decade, which sprang from this mandate.