Jan 01, 2014
The Guardianreports:
Catholic University of America and non-profit organisations in Michigan and Tennessee were among those filing three separate applications asking the court to temporarily exempt them from the so-called contraception mandate while litigation continues. The mandate, which comes into effect on 1 January, is already in place for many women who have private health insurance.
The organisations accuse the federal government of forcing them to support contraception and sterilisation in violation of their religious beliefs or face steep fines.
The groups are due to hear a response from the federal government by 10 a.m. on Friday.
The high court has already agreed to hear constitutional challenges to the Affordable Care Act's mandate on birth control and other pregnancy-related services, in the cases of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Sebelius.
"[I]n a country where over 99 percent of women report using birth control at some point in our lives - bosses have no business imposing their own politics on their employee's health and decisions," said Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, after the Supreme Court announced they would take up the cases.
"If we start with birth control, will bosses next get to decide whether or not we get our children vaccinated? Or whether we can use treatments from stem cell research for life-threatening diseases?" Hogue continued. "Allowing this intrusion into personal decisions by their employers opens a door that won't easily be shut."
_____________________
Join the Movement: Become Part of the Solution Today
We're optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place.
We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter counts.
Your contribution supports this new media model—free, independent, and dedicated to uncovering the truth. Stand with us in the fight for social justice, human rights, and equality. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today!
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
The Guardianreports:
Catholic University of America and non-profit organisations in Michigan and Tennessee were among those filing three separate applications asking the court to temporarily exempt them from the so-called contraception mandate while litigation continues. The mandate, which comes into effect on 1 January, is already in place for many women who have private health insurance.
The organisations accuse the federal government of forcing them to support contraception and sterilisation in violation of their religious beliefs or face steep fines.
The groups are due to hear a response from the federal government by 10 a.m. on Friday.
The high court has already agreed to hear constitutional challenges to the Affordable Care Act's mandate on birth control and other pregnancy-related services, in the cases of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Sebelius.
"[I]n a country where over 99 percent of women report using birth control at some point in our lives - bosses have no business imposing their own politics on their employee's health and decisions," said Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, after the Supreme Court announced they would take up the cases.
"If we start with birth control, will bosses next get to decide whether or not we get our children vaccinated? Or whether we can use treatments from stem cell research for life-threatening diseases?" Hogue continued. "Allowing this intrusion into personal decisions by their employers opens a door that won't easily be shut."
_____________________
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
The Guardianreports:
Catholic University of America and non-profit organisations in Michigan and Tennessee were among those filing three separate applications asking the court to temporarily exempt them from the so-called contraception mandate while litigation continues. The mandate, which comes into effect on 1 January, is already in place for many women who have private health insurance.
The organisations accuse the federal government of forcing them to support contraception and sterilisation in violation of their religious beliefs or face steep fines.
The groups are due to hear a response from the federal government by 10 a.m. on Friday.
The high court has already agreed to hear constitutional challenges to the Affordable Care Act's mandate on birth control and other pregnancy-related services, in the cases of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Sebelius.
"[I]n a country where over 99 percent of women report using birth control at some point in our lives - bosses have no business imposing their own politics on their employee's health and decisions," said Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, after the Supreme Court announced they would take up the cases.
"If we start with birth control, will bosses next get to decide whether or not we get our children vaccinated? Or whether we can use treatments from stem cell research for life-threatening diseases?" Hogue continued. "Allowing this intrusion into personal decisions by their employers opens a door that won't easily be shut."
_____________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.