Hobby Lobby–It’s not the end of the world

US Supreme Court hands down decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby

So yesterday the supreme court announced that closely held companies may exclude contraception from employee health plans if it runs afoul of a companies religious beliefs. This ruling is being hailed as a victory for religious freedoms by the right and an attack upon women by the left. It is neither.

It is not a victory for religious freedoms. If it were, employees, who greatly outnumber employers, would have the right to exercise their religious benefits in choosing contraception from the employee plan. No, this is just another in a series of rulings upholding the rights of corporations above the people who work for them. In America, the rights of the rich have always superseded the rest of us. We should not be surprised that David Green’s Hobby Lobby money, allows him the right to enforce his version of morality on those who work for him. But this win in the courtroom does not make David (or Hobby Lobby if you seriously believe that corporations can be religious) more religious than the God-fearing contraceptive using  people who work for him. Green’s money makes might and might makes right. In this case there is a big difference between right and religious.

On the other hand, the ruling is not a vicious attack on women as the left is portraying it. Contraception is widely available and reasonably affordable. For years it was not a part of anyone’s basic health plan–at least the ones I’ve been a part of. Just because a company doesn’t offer something as a benefit doesn’t automatically mean they are attacking good people.

The supreme court narrowly tailored its decision to closely held companies and limited their ruling to the issue of contraception. I think we’ll all survive this.