Attorney: Hobby Lobby won't offer morning-after pill

A woman walks from a Hobby Lobby Inc., store in Little Rock, Ark., on Sept. 12, 2012. The Oklahoma City-based chain filed a federal lawsuit that day over a mandate in the health reform law that requires employers to provide coverage for the morning-after pill. Photo by The Associated Press.

Friday, December 28, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) — An attorney for Hobby Lobby Stores said Thursday that the arts and crafts chain plans to defy a federal mandate requiring it to offer employees health coverage that includes access to the morning-after pill, despite risking potential fines of up to $1.3 million per day.

Hobby Lobby and religious book-seller Mardel Inc., which are owned by the same conservative Christian family, are suing to block part of the federal health care law that requires employee health-care plans to provide insurance coverage for the morning-after pill and similar emergency contraception pills.

The companies claim the mandate violates the religious beliefs of their owners. They say the morning-after pill is tantamount to abortion because it can prevent a fertilized egg from becoming implanted in a woman's womb.

On Wednesday, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor denied the companies' request for an injunction while their lawsuit is pending, saying the stores failed to satisfy the demanding legal standard for blocking the requirement on an emergency basis. She said the companies may still challenge the regulations in the lower courts.

Kyle Duncan, who is representing Hobby Lobby on behalf of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said in a statement posted on the group's website Thursday that Hobby Lobby doesn't intend to offer its employees insurance that would cover the drug while its lawsuit is pending.

"The company will continue to provide health insurance to all qualified employees," Duncan said. "To remain true to their faith, it is not their intention, as a company, to pay for abortion-inducing drugs."

In ruling against the companies last month, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton said churches and other religious organizations have been granted constitutional protection from the birth-control provisions but that "Hobby Lobby and Mardel are not religious organizations."

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bertd 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Just more coercion by the liberal/progressives running the federal government and federal courts. The feds think it is their job to ram liberal/progressive thinking down our throats. They will bankrupt or imprison us if we refuse to give up our conservative, or civil libertarian, viewpoints. Our grandchildren will never know freedom if we continue to let the federal government force us bow to them.

MO4LIFE 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Get over it! HOBBY LOBBY is not a religious institution therefore it is not exempt. It is a multi-million dollar corporation therefore it cannot be exempt because of the owners religious beliefs. If it was a religious organization then it would be exempt but it is not. That is the bottom line period.

spelchek 5 months, 3 weeks ago

It is a benefit, not a right. How can you force any business to provide a benefit besides using the iron fist of government?

freedomring 5 months, 3 weeks ago

I think it takes courage and backbone to take a stand. Something our Country was built on. If it's such a big deal for people to take the morning after pill, they should purchase it on their own. It's not any government or corporations responsibility to take care of everyone. Sometimes, we need to just take care of ourselves the best we can. I support Hobby Lobby's decision and will start shopping there because of their Morales and Integrity.

MO4LIFE 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Shop there while you can because at 1.3 million dollars a day in fines they won't be around for very long.

JCLifer 5 months, 3 weeks ago

Where in the constitution does it say that the Federal Government's job is to force businesses to provide certain fringe benefits for their employees?

I see more in the constitutuion about prohibiting the restraint or interference of commerce than I do creating choking regulations on businesses.

How much federal government do we really need? How much can we afford?