According to a majority of the 10th Circuit, the businesses owned by the Green family are religious “persons,” and, therefore, can have the benefit of RFRA. But the court’s reasoning is utterly divorced from RFRA’s history and the larger context of federal law generally. It is critical to understand that due to the doctrine of […]
hobby lobby
Posted inNews
Hobby Lobby deserves protection
After the U.S. Supreme Court decided to no longer strictly scrutinize most laws that substantially burden religious liberty, outraged people of all ideological hues vowed to restore the legal protection refused by the court. The Senate passed the bill 97-3. The House passed it unanimously. RFRA instructs courts to invalidate any law or government action […]
Posted inNews
Pondering religious freedom
Perhaps Weigand could explain how Hobby Lobby’s claim to religious freedom entails that its owners’ religious freedom is more important than that of their employees. How is the religious freedom of employees an issue here? Is taking emergency birth control a religious act or obligation? If it is, how does refusing to finance an employee’s […]
Posted inNews
Another Hobby Lobby question
If Hobby Lobby is successful, will a Jewish-owned company still have to honor Christmas and Easter as holidays? Just asking. —John Buckley, Norman
Posted inNews
Questioning Hobby Lobby
If it is, then perhaps they have some justification for denial of health insurance coverage of emergency contraception (although one wonders how many other sanctimonious prescriptions their employees would have to obey). If it is not, then their claim that their religious freedom would be violated by the ACA is nothing but a hollow pretense […]
Posted inNews
Crossing Obamacare
The Christian faith of Hobby Lobby’s sole owners, the Green family, is as ubiquitous as the Christian pop songs on the chain’s satellite radio station. All stores close on Sundays, and full-page newspaper ads quoting scripture have become a tradition on Christian holidays. Mardel, a smaller chain under the same ownership, specializes in Christian merchandise. […]
Posted inNews
Consistent religious beliefs
If Hobby Lobby really wanted to do something to decrease the number of abortions in America, it could sell products made in America, giving Americans jobs instead of the Chinese. If they want to base their decisions on religious beliefs, then they should base all their decisions on religious beliefs. Somehow, I think most of […]
Posted inNews
Balanced journalism
Our society, especially Oklahoma, needs more objective and factual articles such as Dr. Stone’s piece on this controversial aspect of human reproduction. Juxtaposition of that article with the letter below it, “What about the public good?” by Nathaniel Batchelder, was probably just coincidental. However, both pieces of writing well-illustrate the balanced journalism sadly needed in […]
Posted inNews
What about Bob (Jones)?
Credit: Brad Gregg Bob Jones University, you might recall, earned international fame in 2000 when its 73-year history of forbidding interracial dating came to an end. The South Carolina university is known for its biblical literalism and strict student morality codes. As such, a school that unironi cally refers to itself as BJU is an […]
Posted inNews
The truth of emergency contraception
New rules under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, require contraception coverage without cost to women as part of basic health care coverage. Despite overwhelming evidence that the ability to plan and space pregnancies critically impacts a woman’s health and the health of her children, many employers, most notably the Oklahoma City-based Hobby […]