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September 13, 2012

Hobby Lobby Sues HHS Over Contraception Mandate

Becomes first evangelical-owned business to file suit.

Melissa Steffan

Editor's note: Hobby Lobby CEO David Green has written an op-ed in USA Today.

Family-owned retail craft chain Hobby Lobby joined the contraception mandate fray yesterday, suing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) over its new requirement for employers to provide healthcare coverage for emergency contraceptives.

Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby requests an emergency injunction to prohibit the "unconstitutional" HHS policy from being enforced.

Like other retail corporations, Hobby Lobby was not affected by the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on the individual mandate policy in June. Rather, the company objects to the Obama administration regulation that requires even religiously affiliated employers to cover contraceptives in employees' insurance policies. Hobby Lobby faces "crippling fines up to 1.3 million dollars per day" if it refuses to comply with the mandate.

Hobby Lobby CEO and founder David Green said in a statement that his company would not "abandon our religious beliefs to comply with this mandate.”

“By being required to make a choice between sacrificing our faith or paying millions of dollars in fines, we essentially must choose which poison pill to swallow,” he said.

HHS currently faces 28 federal lawsuits involving 88 plaintiffs. However, Hobby Lobby is the first non-Catholic business to file suit.

CT has previously reported on the lawsuits led by evangelical institutions, including Wheaton College and Biola University.

CT also reported on Hobby Lobby and the Green family's planned, large-scale Bible museum in D.C. and the family's plan to give away a Christian campus in Massachusetts.

posted by Jeremy Weber | Comments (2)

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How can I help? I'm tired of Christians having to defend our rights. What about Christian rights!!

Posted By: Michael Guhr | September 16, 2012 9:00 PM

What about pay benefitsand health of Chinese laborers? They live in a country without a constitution -- so, if we're going to impose the constitution internally, wouldn't such constitutional ethic apply to the secular world? What about companies than knock off those of other smaller companies -- the one cow versus the herd with King David. What about business leverages that exploit the knowledge or products of smaller companies? What about using God in the marketplace?

What did Jesus say about these events, times and people? And, what will those oppressed say about those in authority?

Posted By: Jeff Berndt | September 22, 2012 1:26 PM

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