BY CLIFF SIMS
Hobby Lobby is back in court today seeking an exemption from the ObamaCare mandate that requires employers to offer healthcare coverage to their employees that includes access to the morning-after pill.
Hobby Lobby’s contention is that no employer should be forced by the government to do something that goes against their religious beliefs, in this case providing substances used to induce an abortion.
Hobby Lobby is seeking an injunction against the mandate, which is set to go into effect August 1. A lower court previously denied their request, so today’s court appearance is a part of the appeals process.
If the federal appeals court does not grant Hobby Lobby an injunction today, they could face exorbitant penalties of $100 per employee per day. Hobby Lobby has 18 Alabama locations, and currently employees 22,500 workers nationwide. That works out to a fine off over $2 million a day.
Their business would be unlikely to survive.
Lower courts have rejected Hobby Lobby’s claim on the grounds that they are a for-profit business, and therefore should not be covered by the ObamaCare exemption extended to churches and other religious organizations.
But supporters of religious liberty rightly point out that the founders’ intention was to make sure all citizens are free to practice their religion, so long as they do not infringe on anyone else’s rights.
According to the Independent Women’s Forum, “Nearly 200 plaintiffs across the country have filed suit against the Obama Administration over a mandate requiring employers to provide health insurance coverage for contraceptives and sterilization.”
Other than Hobby Lobby, many of the plaintiffs challenging the mandate have been successful in court. Several other related cases are being heard this month on the appellate level, and it is only a matter of time before this issues rises to the Supreme Court.
In the mean time, every freedom-loving American should rally behind Hobby Lobby’s cause.