WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is going to have to find another way to make sure that women have health care coverage that includes contraceptives.
The Supreme Court Monday said some corporations can opt out of that requirement, if they are owned by a small group of people with religious objections to providing the coverage.
Under the health care law that President Barack Obama signed in 2010, contraception is among the services that must be provided at no extra charge.
Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the opinion in today’s 5-to-4 ruling, says the administration could now simply pay for pregnancy prevention itself. Or it could arrange for insurance companies or third-party administrators to take over the responsibility of paying for the birth control.
Among the justices in the majority today was Chief Justice John Roberts — who, two years ago, cast the pivotal vote to save the health care law. Today, he sided with the four justices who would have struck down the entire law.
In a dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the court Monday was discounting the disadvantages that would be faced by employees who don’t share the religious beliefs of their employers.
Hobby Lobby’s website reads:
A VICTORY FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
“Our family is overjoyed by the Supreme Court’s decision. Today the nation’s highest court has re-affirmed the vital importance of religious liberty as one of our country’s founding principles. The Court’s decision is a victory, not just for our family business, but for all who seek to live out their faith. We are grateful to God and to those who have supported us on this difficult journey.”
-Barbara Green, co-founder of Hobby Lobby
CLICK HERE to read the full 95 page Supreme Court decision.
