Hobby Lobby Reversal Bill Stopped By Senate Republicans

Senate Republicans stopped a reversal on the Hobby Lobby contraception decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. Democrats attempted to approve legislation which would force companies to offer all forms of contraceptive coverage to their workers, regardless of the religious beliefs by the owners.

Democrats in the Senate wanted to push the Protect Women’s Health From Corporate Interference Act through their chamber earlier today. The law appears to be targeted to the recent Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision that allowed the company to deny four of the 20 types of contraception mandated by Obamacare standards. The four types of contraception all involved post fertilization of a fetus, which the closely held company said violated their religious beliefs.

Despite what Nancy Pelosi said in a press conference after the Hobby Lobby ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court did not outlaw any form of contraception. The high court simply ruled that Hobby Lobby employees who wanted the post conception forms of birth control would have to pay for the contraceptives themselves.

New York Democratic Chuck Schumer said, “The Supreme Court got it wrong,” while standing on the Senate floor promoting the Protect Women’s Health From Corporate Interference Act. Washington Democrat Patty Murray sponsored the Senate bill and warned her peers that women around the country would be watching how Republicans voted. Murray apparently feels that all women disagreed with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling and the concept of post conception birth control.

Senate Republicans ignored the words of warning from Senator Patty Murray and voted against the Protect Women’s Health From Corporate Interference Act anyway. The Hobby Lobby reversal bill needed 60 votes to pass. The final vote on the Supreme Court snub legislation was 56-43, which killed the bill in the Senate.

Texas Republican Ted Cruz said before the vote that no one in the Senate is in favor of blocking a woman’s access to contraceptives of her choosing. “Nobody, nobody, nobody is talking about restricting access to contraceptives. What we are talking about is the federal government using brute force to force people to pay for abortion inducing drugs of others against their religious faith.” Cruz added the he and his family believe in the use of contraception. “My wife and I area blessed with two little girls. I’m very glad we don’t have 17.”

It is unlikely that a similar bill would pass in the Republican controlled House of Representatives.

How do you feel about the Protect Women’s Health From Corporate Interference Act and the attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby ruling?

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