Written by: Abbie Baggerly & Elan Waite

Pro

Hobby Lobby should be allowed to freely exercise its beliefs without fear of punishment.

 Hobby Lobby is many people’s first choice when they want to purchase arts and crafts, and it is on Fortune’s list of largest private companies in the Unites States. 

 The employer adheres to religious ideals such as honoring the Lord in all they do, and the company believes that it is through God’s grace that their store has lasted and grown to what it is today (over 600 stores nationwide). 

 Hobby Lobby also chooses to donate to several charities and organizations, and it also gives a 10 percent discount to churches, schools and organizations with an organizational credit card.

 The controversy concerning privately owned Hobby Lobby and certain insurance benefits−including birth control−is uncalled for. It is more about labor rights.

 If Hobby Lobby chooses to not pay for their employees’ contraceptives, it doesn’t have to. It is a Christian, privately based company that revolves around the teachings of the Bible. Hobby Lobby stores are not open on Sundays, and it has the right to do so.

 So why should Hobby Lobby be forced to pay for something that it does not necessarily believe in?

 The company should be protected under the First Amendment, and it should be able to voice its opinion about the personal use of contraceptives. 

 Before ObamaCare, which contains the birth-control mandate, people had to buy their own contraceptives if they wanted them, and rightly so. Birth control should be an individual’s responsibility, not a company’s. 

 Individuals who work for Hobby Lobby know what they’re doing; they would not work for Hobby Lobby if they did not believe in the company’s policies and beliefs.

Con

Hobby Lobby, a popular craft-store chain, has sparked controversy all over because of their case on birth control.

The organization is known for being a family-oriented, Christian-based establishment−so much so that they are closed on Sundays. Hobby Lobby wants to be able to opt out of the Affordable Care Act’s mandate of contraceptive coverage. Final arguments were made last week in the Supreme Court case.

Recently religious freedom has been the defense for many hot-topic issues, the most recent being Arizona’s failed attempt to allow businesses to decline service to homosexuals.

A company should not use religion as a cloak to discriminate, and that’s no different when it comes to health care. It’s a defense with no parameters. Now its contraceptives but tomorrow’s issue could be something more invasive.

Will certain medicines associated with certain diseases not be covered? What about procedures that may not be a popular choice?

This case boils down to a few different aspects that collide: the rights of the workers, the rights of the business and government involvement in companies.

Women should be able to get contraceptives without judgment from their employers. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Hobby Lobby, we’re essentially infringing on a woman’s right to choose.  A corporation being able to decide what an employee’s insurance covers is alarming.

A major corporation like Hobby Lobby does benefit from government funds, so should they be able to disregard government policy?

Hobby Lobby has gained immense support for their actions and many people have been purchasing items and commenting on Hobby Lobby’s Facebook page.

At the end of the day, this issue is so much bigger than Hobby Lobby, religion and birth control. We have to step back and take a good look at what one group’s “freedom” will do to another’s. We cannot let people be oppressed for the sake of “freedom.”