The news and social media have been alive for some time with discussions about Hobby Lobby's determination to defy the Obama Care requirements that they provide certain contraceptive medications as part of their employee health care plan. In particular they are opposed to making available the morning-after pill and similar emergency contraception pills. Local news stories tend to be supportive of their position portraying it as a fight for religious freedom. Social media discussions are largely dominated by "pro-life" voices who oppose any type of abortion and in some cases birth control.
Without taking a position on this issue one way or the other, I am not certain that I see a great deal of difference between the tactics of the federal government or Hobby Lobby in this instance. The government is portrayed as using the force of law to require the Greens to provide a medical benefit to their employees which conflicts with their religious beliefs. The Greens, however, choose to use the force of company policy to deny employees access to a medical service that has (morality aside) been determined to be a constitutionally protected right.
Pro-life advocates make a compelling moral argument; however, they cannot and will not carry the day through either force of law or company policy. Existing court rulings are not going to be overturned. If their case is to be won it needs to be won from the pulpit, on the street corner and through moral persuasion. Hobby Lobby is a major retailer with a large number of employees. They operate under the laws of the United States and have been quite profitable. Once laws are enacted they really cannot pick and choose. They really have to "...give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar..."
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