Don’t let employers decree contraception

What does religious freedom mean? According to the Blunt Amendment, narrowly defeated in the U.S. Senate on March 1, it means employers can choose to force their beliefs on their employees in the form of the type of health coverage provided.

If your boss is a Jehovah’s Witness, maybe you would get no health coverage at all. If he’s a Scientologist, there’d be no coverage for mental issues. If he’s a Catholic, no contraceptives. It doesn’t matter what the employee believes. The choice is all in the hands of the one with power: the employer.

I thought religious freedom meant the individual was free to practice their faith according to their conscience. The federal government ought to mandate what should be covered, and then each individual, acting under a doctor’s care, should be able to decide what they use. That is religious freedom.

Linda Dickey

Lombard