So many opinions being expressed about the SCOTUS’ decision this morning concerning Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties which I think is good. The more people pay attention to what’s happening locally, in our states, and in our nation, the better! However, there are an awful lot of those opinions that are simply not based on the facts. Hobby Lobby’s health insurance coverage, prior to ACA, provided coverage for sixteen different methods of birth control and even included us guys. I haven’t heard much talk about that little fact. There are others too!
The decision specifically states that it deals solely with the contraceptive mandate (p. 46 of the majority opinion) so those who are making much of a company refusing to cover blood transfusions or immunizations or even permitting discrimination in hiring practices, for example, are either willfully ignorant of the ruling or intentionally deceptive. Either way, they are being intellectually dishonest in their protests of the decision.
The court today ruled that the Contraceptive Mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that the US House of Representatives passed unanimously and the US Senate passed by a vote or 97 – 3. President Bill Clinton signed that bill into law in 1993. As a reminder for my liberal friends, the Democrats controlled both the House and Senate in 1993. The history of how that law came into being may be of interest to some of my friends and it is actually a good read.
I have included a link to the actual ruling for those who might choose to take the time to read it. Like most legal rulings, it is a bit dry, but is worth the time to read. Also, Justice Kennedy’s concurring opinion as well as the dissent written by Justice Ginsburg is rather interesting in and of themselves. At a time in our nation when many people are choosing sexuality as the basis of self-definition, it is refreshing to be reminded by the highest court in our nation that people have a right to believe in a divine creator and to strive for their own self-definition based on those beliefs. Further, that right is not excluded from the political, civic, and economic life of the larger community (p. 1-2, Justice Kennedy concurring opinion). In other words, people of faith have every right to participate in public life and do so in a way consistent with their religious beliefs.