HOBBY LOBBY: WOMEN’S HEALTH AND REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE

Many of our members have been dismayed and alarmed by some of the recent Supreme Court rulings. The Hobby Lobby ruling denies women employees insurance coverage for birth control by employers with religious objections. According to this decision by the court, corporations now have religious rights that surpass those of women and can now impose their religious beliefs on their employees.

The Hobby Lobby ruling is based not on the Constitution, but on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Therefore, we must encourage our representatives to repeal this act, which was misguidedly enacted by Congress in 1993. RFRA redefines religious freedom by exempting religious organizations from laws they claim create substantial burdens on their free exercise of religion.

Our generation fought long and hard for the right of women to have control over their bodies and to make their own decisions about their future. We thought we had succeeded, but now it seems the battle is far from over. Our rights are slowly being chipped away and are in jeopardy. We must fight back!

Write, call, or email your views to your Representatives and Senators. Let them know how you feel. Sign up for action alerts at the NCJW website so that you will become aware of the latest developments and can advocate for specific legislation with a click of your finger. Read the advocacy emails from NCJW BCS and take action. And of course, vote! Let’s try to make a difference.

If you are unsure of the names of your representatives, go to www.contactingthecongress.org and fill in your address. Many of the legislators’ websites ask you to add your four-digit zip code extension. If you do not know it, go to www.usps.com. Click on “quick tools” at the top of the page and then click on “look up zip code.”

Having your voice heard is worth the effort.

Shelly Winner, Co-Vice President,
Advocacy and Education.

Also go to Tell Congress: Take Steps to Fix Hobby Lobby!