Judge: Hobby Lobby must offer morning-after pill

Associated Press ^ | 11/19/2012 | TIM TALLEY

[haffast]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal judge Monday rejected Hobby Lobby Stores Inc.'s request to block part of the federal health care overhaul that requires the arts and craft supply company to provide insurance coverage for the morning-after and week-after birth control pills.

In a 28-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton denied a request by Hobby Lobby to prevent the government from enforcing portions of the health care law mandating insurance coverage for contraceptives the company's Christian owners consider objectionable.

The Oklahoma City-based company and a sister company, Mardel Inc., sued the government in September, claiming the mandate violates the owners' religious beliefs. The owners contend the morning-after and week-after birth control pills are tantamount to abortion because they can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in a woman's womb. They also object to providing coverage for certain kinds of intrauterine devices.

snip

Hobby Lobby's attorney said the companies' owners will appeal.

snip

Hobby Lobby is the largest business to file a lawsuit against the mandate.

Hobby Lobby calls itself a "biblically founded business" and is closed on Sundays. Founded in 1972, the company now operates more than 500 stores in 41 states and employs more than 13,000 full-time employees who are eligible for health insurance coverage. The company, which is self-insured, has said it will face a daily $1.3 million fine beginning Jan. 1 if it ignores the law.

"It is by God's grace and provision that Hobby Lobby has endured," said David Green, founder and CEO. "Therefore we seek to honor God by operating the company in a manner consistent with biblical principles."

The Green family has said it has no moral objection to the use of other contraceptives and will continue covering them for its employees.

[haffast]

The Green family also own and operate a chain of Christian bookstores.

http://www.mardel.com/

http://hobbylobby.com/

[Brad’s Gramma]

http://www.mardel.com/

http://hobbylobby.com/

(For the phone users) :)

[Dogbert41]

Only one thing to do: Close shop.

[cableguymn]

I’ll miss them. but yes. That is what is left.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Terrible.

[Pox]

"Plaintiffs have not cited, and the court has not found, any case concluding that secular, for-profit corporations such as Hobby Lobby and Mardel have a constitutional right to the free exercise of religion," the ruling said.

To me, this statement seems absurd in the extreme.

[haffast]

Thank-you!

[TigersEye]

Drop your employee’s insurance and pay the fine. It’s cheaper. Tell your employees that you’re sorry but ‘talk to the 0bama.’

[UnwashedPeasant]

"Only one thing to do: Close shop"

I think they have an option to make all employees part-time. Of course, that would be destructive in many ways.

[eyeamok]

I don’t know why this is so hard, the answer is simple, the STate using the Kelo decision as legal grounds, should immediately begin seizing the Homes of Federal Employees, starting with all Federal Employees classified as Public Servants and use the proceeds to pay for the Requirements imposed on their citizens by Obamacare. definitely satisfies the economic need requirement of Kelo.

[One Name]

Corporations, as collective groups of citizen-investors-owners
are not protected by the Bill of Rights.

News to me.

Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton. et al might have differed.

[5thGenTexan]

Option 2: drop all insurance, pay the fine and let the employees see how wonderful Obamacare’s Exchange policies are.

[TigersEye]

In his ruling denying Hobby Lobby's request for an injunction, Heaton said that while churches and other religious organizations have been granted constitutional protection from the birth-control provisions, "Hobby Lobby and Mardel are not religious organizations."

In his decision the judge seems to recognize the rights of some organizations. It begs the question; do only religious organizations have religious rights? What about individuals? Apparently an individual who owns a business does not.

[cableguymn]

Problem with that is the fine is used to pay for the very things they are against.

[DesertRhino]

“Plaintiffs have not cited, and the court has not found, any case concluding that secular, for-profit corporations such as Hobby Lobby and Mardel have a constitutional right to the free exercise of religion,” the ruling said.”

Maybe something like,,”Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;,,”

Says nothing about secullar,, for-profit,,only individuals,, nothing. Just says “shall make no law,, free exercise”

[TigersEye]

It’s less though. It’s not voluntary it’s forced at the point of a gun so no karma is accrued.

[Cheerio]

If I were CEO of Hobby Lobby I would issue an internal order to HR, the law department, and the person responsible for negotiating emplyoee health insurance to ignore this Judge and Obama. See ya in court again.

[piasa]

Either way it is just what Obama wants... he wants every American forced off of private insurance plans and onto government assistance, and if you pay the fine he still wins, because those employees will have to go on the government plan. This is pure evil...coercion. Maybe the solution is to have well paid subcontractors instead, but then Obama will get them onto the government entitlement because then THEY will have to pay the fine or sign up for the plan instead of Hobby Lobby.

[DesertRhino]

Don’t pay the fine. Salt away a lot of cash that they can’t find.

Then when prepared, refuse to pay the fine, OR offer morning after pill. Force the Kenyan to send federal marshalls to physically close the stores. Put huge signs out front of each closed store, “Closed by Order of Obama”.

The Ba$tard does not want the fight. He desperately wants threats to force compliance. If that fails, then he must act and look like he dictator he is. He does not want the bad “optics”, and we can force it upon him.

[TigersEye]

OK.