News report on court ruling slanted the facts
Imagine my surprise to read the front-page Associated Press article on the Supreme Court ruling in the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby case, which was clearly slanted and misleading and even fallacious.
The article quotes White House secretary Josh Earnest, who stated: "Today's decision jeopardizes the health of women who are employed by these companies." That is false and downright ridiculous! Hobby Lobby covers 16 different contraceptives in its health care plan. That fact is clearly left out of the article. The company's opposition, based on religious freedom, is limited to the four drugs/devices that cause abortions - Plan B, Ella and two different types of intrauterine devices.
The Supreme Court held that an application of a provision in Obamacare violates a federal statute, The Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This act was signed into law in 1993 and aimed at preventing laws that substantially burden a person's free exercise of their religion. RFRA passed in Congress nearly unanimously and was signed into law by none other than pro-abortion President Bill Clinton.
The general public has no idea that Hobby Lobby already did cover contraceptives but was simply opposed to the abortion inducing drugs/devices. The article deliberately blurs the distinction between contraception and abortion producing drugs/devices.
The HHS mandate and the Supreme Court's decision provide an excellent opportunity to educate the public about such life-destructive drugs and devices. Women deserve to know how they work on their bodies and the nascent life in their wombs. The newspaper coverage of this decision has clearly kept women from the truth.
Bonnie Quirke
Libertyville