{"id":1058,"date":"2012-09-12T20:14:00","date_gmt":"2012-09-12T20:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/hobby-lobby-sues-government-over-contraception-mandate\/"},"modified":"2012-09-12T20:14:00","modified_gmt":"2012-09-12T20:14:00","slug":"hobby-lobby-sues-government-over-contraception-mandate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2012\/09\/hobby-lobby-sues-government-over-contraception-mandate\/","title":{"rendered":"Hobby Lobby sues government over contraception mandate"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Washington D.C., Sep 12, 2012 \/ 02:14 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., announced that it is filing a lawsuit against the federal government over a mandate requiring it provide coverage of early-abortion drugs to employees.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe have always operated our company in a manner consistent with Biblical principles, including integrity and service to others,\u201d said Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green.<\/p>\n

\tAt a Sept. 12 press call announcing the lawsuit, Green explained that faith has been an \u201cintegral\u201d part of the business from its humble beginning as a miniature picture frame company in 1972.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cHobby Lobby has always been a tool for the Lord\u2019s work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tGreen said that he has \u201cfound a way to minister through Hobby Lobby.\u201d He attributes his success with the company \u2013 which now has more than 500 stores and 22,500 employees nationwide \u2013 to God\u2019s grace and said that he seeks to honor the Lord in everything he does. \u00a0
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tPart of this faith means caring for the company\u2019s employees, Green explained. He noted that the company is closed on Sundays \u2013 sacrificing millions of dollars in profits \u2013 in order to allow employees to spend time with their families.<\/p>\n

\tIn addition, he said, the company\u2019s minimum wage for full-time employees is 80 percent above the national minimum wage.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\t\u201cWe also believe in sharing our faith,\u201d Green added, pointing to the time and money that the company contributes to fund ministries throughout the world, as well as the full-page ads that it purchases at Christmas and Easter in every major city where it is present.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cFor me and my family, charity equals ministry, which equals the Gospel of Jesus Christ,\u201d he said.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tGreen explained that his freedom to operate his business in accordance with his beliefs is now being threatened to by the federal contraception mandate, announced on Jan. 20, which requires employers to offer coverage of free contraception, sterilization and early abortion-inducing drugs.<\/p>\n

\tWhile he does not object to preventive birth control, which is already covered by the health care plan he offers, Green gravely objects to offering the \u201cmorning after\u201d and \u201cweek after\u201d pills, which induce early abortions by causing the death of an already existing human embryo.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe simply cannot abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tFiling a lawsuit in a federal district court in Oklahoma, the self-insured arts and crafts retailer is now the 88th plaintiff to file a lawsuit challenging the mandate. It is also the only non-Catholic-owned for-profit business to do so.<\/p>\n

\tWhile a narrow religious exemption to the mandate has been carved out for a small percentage of religious organizations, no protection has been offered to non-religious businesses such as Hobby Lobby that are owned and operated by Christian individuals seeking to put their faith into practice.<\/p>\n

\tFor these \u201csecular\u201d businesses, the mandate goes into effect as soon as a new year of their insurance plan begins after Aug. 1, 2012.<\/p>\n

\tFor Hobby Lobby, the new health care plan year will begin Jan. 1, 2013, and if the company does not provide the mandated coverage, it will face fines of more than $1 million per day.<\/p>\n

\tThe company is seeking a temporary injunction to block the mandate from taking effect while its lawsuit works its way through the court system. A similar injunction was granted to a Colorado company in July.<\/p>\n

\tKyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing Hobby Lobby in its lawsuit, said that the Green family strives to ensure that \u201cthe faith they teach their children at home is consistent with the choices they make at work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIn a profound way, their business is a ministry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cToday, they\u2019re asking the federal court to protect their right to run their business as they always have, in harmony with their Christian faith,\u201d Duncan explained.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe government cannot fine any American \u2013 including business owners like the Greens \u2013 for refusing to violate their faith,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington D.C., Sep 12, 2012 \/ 02:14 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., announced that it is filing a lawsuit against the federal government over a mandate requiring it provide coverage of early-abortion drugs to e…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"\nHobby Lobby sues government over contraception mandate<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Washington D.C., Sep 12, 2012 \/ 02:14 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., announced that it is filing a lawsuit against the federal government over a mandate requiring it provide coverage of early-abortion drugs to e...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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