For too long legislatures and courts in this country have been targeting the right of women to access adequate healthcare, which must include reproductive health care, including birth control and abortion. Hobby Lobby’s decision to not cover certain kinds of birth control and their decision to go to the Supreme Court in an effort to protect the imagined religious rights of corporations is an affront to humanity that cannot be tolerated.
“This is a deeply disappointing and troubling ruling that will prevent some women, especially those working hourly wage jobs and struggling to make ends meet, from getting birth control,” said Susan Yolen, representing the Rhode Island Coalition for Reproductive Justice, with over twenty member organizations.
Carolyn Mark, of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women, said, “The Supreme Court’s decision in the Hobby Lobby case shows a shocking disregard for the religious liberty of working women who should have the right to make their own heath care decisions in concert with their doctor and their faith and not to have those decisions made for them by their employer. This decision will most certainly embolden those forces in our society that wish to withhold a full range of health care options for women. But make no mistake. It has also enraged many women and men across this country who will not stand idly by while the Supreme Court upholds the religious rights of corporations over those of the individual.”
“This ruling is based not on the Constitution, but on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), a statute. This statute was adopted by Congress and must be repealed by Congress,” said Debbie Flitman, a local mother and member of the Freedom from Religion Foundation, “The FFRF’s amicus brief was the only brief before the Supreme Court that argued that RFRA is unconstitutional. Our important brief points out that RFRA ‘accords religious believers extreme religious liberty rights that yield a political and fiscal windfall in violation of the clearest commands of the Establishment Clause.’ The RFRA is a bad law that must be repealed.”
“This was not a ‘narrow’ win for Hobby Lobby,” said Lauren Niedel, speaking for the Rhode Island Progressive Democrats, “this was a huge loss for privacy, a huge loss for a woman’s guaranteed access to affordable prescribed contraception options and a loss to an individual’s right to religious freedom.”
Christine Eldridge, speaking as the Director of the Rhode Island chapter of the Secular Coalition for America, said, “This unfortunate decision places the religious opinions of for-profit business owners above the rights of female employees to make their own personal health care choices. It is absurd that the Supreme Court would rule that these corporations have religious rights and that they can use these rights to deny women contraceptive coverage that was mandated under the Affordable Care Act.”
A recent Poll commissioned by Planned Parenthood of Southern New England showed that in Rhode Island those who believe abortion should be generally available outnumber opponents by a staggering 8 to 1, higher than most places in the country. Even among Catholics the numbers are completely lopsided in favor of abortion. There is a clear consensus on this issue in Rhode Island. We do not want corporations interfering in our private medical decisions.
Similar protests will be taking place across the country, like this one in Mobile, Alabama, or these in Texas or this one in New Jersey. When you come to the rally, bring your own signs, sunblock and hats.
]]>You and I know that corporations are not people, but in case you missed it last week, one of the leading Republican presidential candidates thinks they are. That’s right, when former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney actually said out loud that “corporations are people” he articulated what we alI know to be the real priority of the Republican Party, and that is tax cuts and special treatment for corporations while American families continue to try and make ends meet during these tough economic times. Statements from party leaders like Romney really do make you wonder, just whose side are they on?
After this recent debate over our nation’s debt ceiling, it’s now even more clear that theRepublican Party has totally lost sight of who ordinary working families are and what they need. We know that working families are not corporations, because unlike corporations they have had to bear the brunt of this economic recovery. As corporations like big oil companies continue to receive taxpayer subsidies and tax breaks are extended to companies that ship American jobs overseas, working families are trying to afford basic things like the higher cost of food, gas, health care and college. And it doesn’t end there. While Republicans fight tooth and nail for “corporations” they also propose to make deeps cuts in our most sacred programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and federal student loans for our young people.
I hope you’ll join my petition to Republican leaders to tell them that we want corporations to pay their fair share.
I understand that we cannot continue to ship American jobs overseas and provide additional tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires at the expense of working families. Congress needs to focus on jobs and securing Medicare and Social Security. Everyday, I am pushing back against right-wing Republicans as they try to undermine vital services in order to help the special interests, but I cannot do this alone and I need your help to send a strong message that we’re not going to stand for it.
Stand up with me to tell Washington that we need to concentrate on fighting for everyday Americans, and stop protecting the special interests of millionaires and billionaires and the most powerful.
Please sign my petition to tell Republican leaders that corporations are not people, and they need to stop protecting them at the expense of the middle class and working families.
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