For those of us who like to do crafts or sew or just think about that sort of project, Hobby Lobby has sometimes been a convenient place. For me it was the only place in town until very recently.
I have never been very happy with them because they push the envelope about being "Christian" somewhat like Chick-fil A. I once thought I might enjoy working there until I picked up one of their applications which required me to sign a statement that I would not ever attempt collective bargaining and other good things.
Now, they have filled a law suit so that they do not have to provide "the morning after pill" to their employees because it would violate their religious liberty.
According to Think Progress ( http://thinkprogress.org/... )
Hobby Lobby, a large chain of crafts stores owned by conservative evangelical Christians, filed a federal lawsuit against the contraception mandate today, claiming they should have the right to deny coverage for emergency contraception to over 13,000 employees across 40 states. Hobby Lobby’s owners, the Green family, claim the Obamacare requirement to provide employer-based coverage for that contraceptive service violates their freedom of religion and speech
The story is also covered in Bloomberg BusinessWeek News(
http://www.businessweek.com/...). Locally, WPEC-TV in Oklahoma City carried the story (
http://cbs12.com/...).
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City, alleges the Health and Human Services mandate is unconstitutional and requests an injunction to prohibit it from being enforced. Hobby Lobby is self-insured and will be required to comply with the mandate by Jan. 1, the start of its health insurance plan year.
"We are confident that the court will act quickly," said Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty in Washington, which represents Hobby Lobby. Duncan said 27 other lawsuits have been filed nationwide over the mandate, mostly by nonprofit groups.
"This mandate violates the religious liberty of millions of Americans," Duncan said. "The government has turned a deaf ear to the rights of business owners."
Duncan said the lawsuit does not challnge rules regarding other preventive birth control measures.
Hobby Lobby calls itself a "biblically founded business" that is closed on Sundays. Founded in 1972, the company now operates more than 500 stores in 41 states and employs more than 13,000 people.
The lawsuit also was filed on behalf of another of the Green family's businesses, Mardel, Inc., a bookstore and education company also based in Oklahoma City that sells a variety of Christian-themed materials. The company operates 35 stores in seven states and has 372 full-time employees.
It is election time and our energies need to be there, but we also need to be aware of how women are being undermined everywhere.