Discussion for article #224494
Horrible ruling. Carves out an exception just for birth control, but makes clear that it doesn’t apply to other religious beliefs, such as blood products, vaccinations or non divine healthcare. This is as badly crafted as I’ve seen in a long, long time. This is another punch the hippies case. The majority started with a decision and then made up reasons to have it. Just horrible.
Net up , can a company deposit you paycheck at the company store and require you to spend your money there .
I have no confidence in any of the five conservative supreme court jurists – period, exclamation point. They are dead to me.
This ruling is based on the 5 conservative justices’ personal prejudices—not on the Constitution or US statutory law.
And the TGOP continues its “outreach to women”. I hope “moderate” as well as progressive candidates run hard on this. Also think it just made a Hillary victory in '16 that much more likely; e.g., “do you want a Supreme Court appointed by Scott Walker making decisions about women’s bodies???”
Weirdly, the court makes a very compelling case for universal government funded healthcare. Kennedy says, “well, of course, the government can just buy it for the employees of objecting companies, so there won’t be any problem. See? Easy peasy.” Perhaps I paraphrase some, but Kennedy’s fig leaf is that surely -someone- will step into pay for this, so, really, women won’t actually be denied heath care. Who would that someone be, if not the federal government?
Agreed. But one of the Supreme Court’s dirty little secrets is the history of decisions based on Justices’ personal beliefs, obsessions, and prejudices. It goes back to the beginning.
So the only way to have any rights in this country, with this Supreme Court, is to become a corporation.
Honestly, is anyone surprised the SCOTUS ruled this way? It’s going to take decades to undo all the damage done by their horrendous rulings the past ~5 years. This is why we need Democrats in the White House and Democrats to confirm real justices, and keeping the naked partisans far, far away from the court system. Save the dumbass arguments about progressive purity for another time - who the hell do you think would be the ones to keep Democrats honest on things like the 4th Amendment? Who the hell do you think upholds campaign finance laws?
Well, of course. But what is beyond comprehension is the lack of coherence in this court. This decision opens the floodgates to an unlimited number of corporate exceptions to federal rules. This decision violates the 8th Amendment.
Thank Ralph Nader and everyone that voted for him because there wasn’t a “dime’s worth of difference” between Bush and Gore.
Wow. SCOTUS decides Obama cannot enforce government imposed morality on some privately held companies. Great decision!
Sure there is. It just turned out that it’s the dime that women are supposed to hold between their knees to use as birth control.
Romney was right. Corporations really are people too.
Thanks for nothing, Kennedy.
That is another crazy element of the decision – the contraceptive coverage adds nothing to the cost of the insurance.
This should serve as a kick in the ass to Democratic voters who sat out the last mid-term elections.
If we don’t keep the Senate, and make gains in the House, 2016 is going to be that much more difficult.
Whether it’s Hillary Clinton or another Democrat at the top of the ticket in 2016, we have to build now to give that candidate a Congress he/she can deal with and thereby accomplish something.
I agree it’s horrible on contraceptive coverage; but narrowing it that at least shows how much worse it could have been.
This is a blow, but not anywhere near fatal, nor even all that debilitating given not just Congress but also the administration have a number of ways to overcome its stupid effects (albeit by calling further, at least theoretically, on the human taxpayer component of the government’s tax revenues).
Still: horrible reasoning, and beyond that looms an invitation to the sort of colossal abuse that’s led to an entrenched religiotic presence in a substantial number of state governments.
Agreed. This is a decision that opens up large areas of uncertainty, rather than settling anything.