The madness of Obamacare
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March 28, 2014 |
By Congressman Raul Labrador
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral
arguments in a landmark case that will help
decide the future of religious freedom in
America. The justices are weighing the
constitutionality of one of the most
controversial aspects of Obamacare - the
requirement that employers must provide birth
control and abortifacients to their employees,
even if doing so violates their deeply-held
religious beliefs.
The main case centers around Hobby Lobby, an
arts-and-crafts chain based in Oklahoma City
that is run on biblical principles. For example,
they close on Sundays and refuse to sell shot
glasses. They object to the life-terminating
drugs and devices required under the Obamacare
mandate (better known as the “HHS mandate”) on
religious grounds. And yet, if they don’t follow
the mandate, they are facing annual fines of
$36,500 per employee, which comes out to nearly
$657 million per year.
A lower court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby.
Now, the U.S. Supreme Court will make the final
call. Their ruling is expected in June.
Of all the horrendous aspects of Obamacare, the
HHS mandate is one of the worst. Where does the
federal government get the nerve to tell people
they must spend money on something they find
morally objectionable, such as abortifacients?
There is nothing in the Constitution – not even
in the much-abused “Commerce Clause” – that
would lead someone to that conclusion.
This is the madness of Obamacare: Not only is
the federal government requiring people to buy
something for the first time in American
history, they are requiring businesses and
individuals to buy specific types of insurance,
even if it violates their conscience. No
American should be forced to choose between
following their faith and submitting to unlawful
and unnecessary government mandates.
Those of us who support Hobby Lobby – and the
scores of other companies that have challenged
the mandate in court – simply want to
reestablish what was – up until recently – the
status quo in America: freedom of conscience,
and more specifically, the freedom to live
according to our religious values, without being
penalized by a power-mad government. Americans
don’t give up their freedom when they open a
family business.
Every day, Obamacare is unraveling before our
eyes. Just this week, the President announced
another major delay in the law’s implementation.
We’re now at 10 major delays since the law took
effect – all of them done without Congressional
approval (a full list of the delays can be found
here).
I will continue to oppose Obamacare because it’s
one of the most economically and socially
destructive laws in U.S. history. And I will
continue to stand for religious freedom, because
it is truly the “first freedom” and one of the
key pillars of the American Dream.
I expect the Supreme Court will see it that way
too. |
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