In a
deeply divisive case pitting advocates of religious liberty against women’s
right’s groups, the Supreme Court said today that two for profit corporations
with sincerely held religious beliefs do not have to provide a full range of
contraceptives at no cost to their employees pursuant to the Affordable Care
Act.
In a 5-4 opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito
the court held that as applied to closely held corporations the Health and
Human Services regulations imposing the contraceptive mandate violate the
Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Alito was joined by Chief Justice John
Roberts, Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Clarence Thomas. Justice Anthony
Kennedy filed a concurring opinion.
The decision is a victory for the Green family that
owns Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts chain, and the Hahns who own Conestoga, a
cabinet making company, who had challenged the so called contraceptive mandate
saying it forced them to either violate their faith or pay ruinous fines. They
object specifically to four of the drugs and devices at issue because they say
they have the potential to destroy an embryo. The government defended the
provision as an essential part of health care coverage for women.Read MORE HERE
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