Comments about ‘U.S. legislators come to Hobby Lobby's defense in contraception lawsuit’

This all seems a bit odd to me. I thought ACA's latest revisions included optional birth control, for free, not paid for by any of the insured or their employers, and certainly not mandated, except that it is available as an option from a private, separate insurance company. The individual female employee then would decide if she wanted this coverage or not. I fail to see how a particular employer feels they are somehow violated when their employee chooses a free option from an independent insurance company. If the employer is that wound-up about the issue, then they should dictate to their employees. But, forcing an employee to comply would seem to me to be a violation of the First Amendment and Freedom of Religion. Frankly, I find the employer's intrusion into an employee's personal life to be quite offensive.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment
(Matthew 25:44-46)

Hobby Lobby is an employer, not the employee's pastor. You lost my business.

So does the RFRA exempt me from Utah's constitutional ban on marriage equality? After all, it goes against my religious beliefs. My religion believes in marriage equality; how is the ban not a violation of my faith's freedom of conscience?

The First Amendment and its religious protections were never meant to be a "trump card" or "get out if jail free card" like Republicans think they are.

The religion clauses have been under attack for some time now. The free exercise clause is here directly implicated, of course. Mandating anyone, be it pastor or employer, to violate religious convictions is unconstitutional.

Ironically, from an establishment clause perspective, however, the attack could be interpreted as follows. The ACA establishes a state religion -- the state religion requiring obedience to the commandment "thou shalt pay for abortifacients or be fined."

If, somehow, this had been a requirement set up by the Medicare Part D law passed under Bush, it would not be an issue to Republicans.

But Obama is in the White House, so things are completely different.

I like Hobby Lobby but why does embracing your religion mean that your employers have to live the same way? The problem with this is, what if you work for a company that chooses not to cover contraceptives and you are fine with that. But then your employer sells the company to someone who doesn't believe in blood transfusions. Now your new boss decides that he/she doesn't want blood transfusions covered in your insurance? I think that's the problem here.

A good solution to the problem of health insurance coverage would be to get business our to the personal business of their employees. An even better solution would be to get religious organizations out of business.

Business operations exist because of the need, want, wishes of the people. As the receiver of business activities, the people have the authority and the right to control the nature and quality of the product. No one is forced to operate a business but if that someone chooses to operate a business, he must have the permission of the society and agree to abide by the laws of that society. No one in America should have the right to pick and choose which laws they wish to abide.

Probably there are no laws that do not conflict with someone’s personal beliefs. And no laws that have perfect adherence. It is enough that most people respect most laws most of the time that makes our nation great. But in order to have even that much compliance requires enforcement and constant vigil of those who are charged with law enforcement.

A business is entitled to provide whatever benefits package they deem appropriate. Employess are free to either accept the benefit package, or seek employment elsewhere. The Federal Government has no right to dictate what benefits an employeer decides to offer their employees.

Rynn makes a good point about a company owned by someone who doesn't believe in blood transfusions.

In fact, if I were a sneaky employer paying low wages and minimal benefits, maybe I'd say I believe that employees ought to trust in God for their health and rely on prayer, fasting, healing, herbal remedies, etc., not health insurance. Then, when the government says I have to provide coverage, I'd say, "You're violating my religious beliefs."

An employer believes the world is overpopulated and refuses to offer employees insurance coverage for pre-natal health, childbirth, and post-partem well-child visits...

An employer believes that anyone who has HIV/AIDS is a homosexual, and homosexuality is something he believes is a sin, so he refuses to offer insurance coverage that provides prescription coverage for AZT or other HIV/AIDS drugs...

An employer believes that traumatic injuries result from bad karma, a tenet of some Eastern-tradition religions, and refuses to provide insurance coverage for emergency room visits or emergency out-of-state care...

You see where I'm going with this? This is an un-Constitutional Pandora's Box that cannot and should not be opened. Like corporations and insurance companies need even more reasons to deny care!

Isn't it funny that so often the catch phrase by liberals is "keep your hands off my body" or "keep your hands off my birth control" in this fight?

Its ironic, because in reality they are fighting to force others to pay for their birth control, so wouldnt a more accurate phrase by "keep your hands ON my birth control"

Just a little ironic hypocrisy.

Chris B, birth-control medications are prescribed to women for a myriad of reasons. They are prescribed to help with heavy bleeding, which can, if untreated, lead to anemia. They can be prescribed for women who have menstrual irregularities (too much, too little, etc...). They can be prescribed for endometriosis in coordination with other care.

My point is this: birth-control medications treat dozens of clinical diagnoses. They are hormones, that's all they are. Their use has been deduced to simply one use (birth-control) and exploited for political reasons.

Science and education need to be had if this country is to survive. Healthy public policy demands it.

Chris B

It is not hypocritical at all. Hobby Lobby is a business not a religious organization. Employers are not entitled to force their religious beliefs on others.

Many businesses are forced to comply with various regulations and laws that may run counter to a religious belief. I would use the example of a Halal market, should they be allowed to violate food safety laws by claiming a religious exemption? No, they must comply just like other businesses.

John Wilson

An employer is not allowed to dictate which laws it will follow. The ACA is the law of the land and as soon as we start allowing exemptions for religious reasons that leads to a slippery slope of other issues.

The bottom line is if someone wants to operate a business in the public marketplace then they must conform to the rules and laws of society.

If my employees want to drink --- don't ask me to pay the bar tab.
If they want to gamble -- don't ask me to ante-up for them.
If they think they "need" medical marijuana --- don't ask me to pay for it.

Now, if they choose the spend their own $$ (even if earned from me) on that stuff --- that's different.

Scoundrel: You bring in lots of example religious beliefs. Do you know of religions who believe those things or are those hypothetical examples that you have made up? Do we deny someone's rights because you can think of a hypothetical example which dictates that some version of their rights is impractical?

I know one example that was referred to and that is blood transfusions. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that blood transfusions are immoral. I wonder what their take on this requirement is.

The problem is that the government is micromanaging our lives for our good and they have opened up a Pandora's box. By their own admission, they weren't aware of what they were doing with regards to the religious objections of contraception. (Another example how utterly ignorant some people are on diversity these days) . I guess it goes along with Pelosi's comment, "We have to pass it so that we can know what is in it."

They didn't put a lot of thought into something incredibly complicated. I suspect that we are going to find a lot more other mistakes in this as the ACA is executed.

This is the slippery slope begun when the Supreme Court ruled that Corporations are People. They can donate as much as they want to a political campaign, and now Corporations can have religion.

To "Scoundrel" you should realize that if a woman really needed birth control pills for the problems that you list, she can get them for as little as $9/month at Target. Why should insurance cover something so trivial? For most insurance plans, the co-pay is more than what the pills would cost.