"We are in a war," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius declared to cheers at a 2011 National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) Pro-Choice America fund-raiser. Secretary Sebelius was referring in part to the uproar caused by the "HHS Mandate," her agency's rule that employer-provided insurance cover all FDA-approved contraceptives, including those that may cause early abortions. Two years and sixty-seven lawsuits later, Secretary Sebelius's war rages on. The two hundred plaintiffs include individuals, charities, family-owned businesses, and sixteen religious colleges and seminaries. Thousands more look on from the sidelines. The HHS Mandate goes to ''two vital propositions in the American conception of religious liberty: Religious believers get to tell us what their faith requires or forbids," and ''believers have at least a presumptive right to live out the commitments of their faith across the whole range of human activity, including the world of business and commerce." As the battle over these ''vital propositions" heats up, the Supreme Court is considering petitions for certiorari in two cases, and facing the prospect of future petitions in three more. This article provides a a short, primer on the Mandate, the lawsuits, and the arguments for and against each side in order to help readers follow the ongoing debate.