By The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a case on whether religiously-affiliated companies can be exempted from a key portion of the Affordable Care Act.
The Supreme Court will decide whether companies like arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby should be required to offer employee insurance coverage for contraceptives without co-pay, according to CNN.
Companies like Hobby Lobby have protested the Affordable Care Act mandate, citing religious conflict.
Hobby Lobby is one of approximately 50 companies that have recently sued the government over the contraceptive coverage mandate.
Hobby Lobby’s owners, David Green and his family, believe that some drugs they may be required to cover for employees could prevent a human embryo from forming. Green deems this a form of abortion, according to CNN.
Although offering coverage for contraceptives may not be popular for religiously-affiliated companies, we think all companies should be required to offer coverage, regardless of religious affiliation.
It’s an outdated belief of companies like Hobby Lobby to assume that their insurance plans should not offer access to contraceptives.
Allowing employees to obtain contraceptives is reasonable.
Not all Hobby Lobby employees have the same religious views as their employer. These employees may accept and need contraceptives but lack access to them.
Of course, employees have the option to quit their jobs and look for employment with a company that offers contraceptive coverage.
But in today’s tight economy, is that really an option?
Put simply, the needs of the employee outweigh the needs of the employer.
And besides, companies’ covering contraceptives through insurance plans does not mean that all employees will take advantage of the coverage.
Employees who share Green’s point of view would deny contraceptive coverage for themselves.
Why should any employees who work for religiously-affiliated companies be punished?
Hobby Lobby and other companies’ arguments hinge on the belief that corporations enjoy the same First Amendment rights as individuals. They hope it will give them the right to not offer such coverage.
This argument may seem valid, but it falls short.
Hobby Lobby could have a right to deny coverage. At the same time, however, companies like Hobby Lobby would be denying their employees the same right to receive such coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
Contraceptives give individuals the pleasure of enjoying life in all of its glory. Why deny them that pleasure?
