Supreme Court agrees to hear Obamacare contraception cases

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to consider religious objections made by corporations to a provision of the 2010 federal healthcare law requiring employers to provide health insurance that covers birth control.

The so-called contraception mandate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, requires employers to provide health insurance policies that include preventive services for women that include access to contraception and sterilization.

The key question before the court is whether corporations should be treated the same as individuals when making free exercise of religion claims under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and a 1993 federal law called the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.