RULING IS IN THE HAND OF GOD!

Weekly Opinion Editorial

RULING IS IN THE HAND OF GOD!

by Steve Fair

     Last week the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Sebelius vs. Hobby Lobby, the landmark lawsuit addressing the constitutionally guaranteed rights of business owners to operate their company without violating their religious convictions.  No date has been set for the case to be heard, but it is expected to be decided by June.

     Valerie Jarrett, a senior advisor to President Obama, claims that Hobby Lobby is trying to ‘seize a controlling interest’ in women’s health care because they oppose providing insurance coverage to their employees for the abortion pill.

     “Today, there are people trying to take this right away from women, by letting private, for-profit corporations and employers make medical decisions for their employees, based on their personal beliefs,” she wrote. “A group of for-profit companies are currently suing to gain the right to deny employees access to coverage for birth control and contraceptive care, which are used by the overwhelming majority of American women in their lifetimes,” Jarrett writes on her blog.

     David Green, the founder of Hobby Lobby is optimistic the SCOTUS will side with the rights of religious business owners when they hear the case. “My family and I are encouraged that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide our case. This legal challenge has always remained about one thing and one thing only: the right of our family businesses to live out our sincere and deeply held religious convictions as guaranteed by the law and the Constitution,” Green said. “Business owners should not have to choose between violating their faith and violating the law.”

     Three observations concerning this landmark case:

     First, it is the federal government working to ‘seize controlling interest’ in women’s health.  The Affordable Care Act(ACA) mandates certain procedures, medications, and medical practices be made available to all women, whether they want those procedures or not.  Women who work at Hobby Lobby have the choice to find another job if they don’t like the medical coverage provided by the company.  Government doesn’t allow women that option.  Jarrett’s comments are arrogant and disingenuous.

     Second, the ACA pushes Christian business owners to violate their convictions.  The issue for the Green family is the ACA mandates their insurance cover the ‘morning after’ abortion pill for their employees.  The Greens rightly believe life begins at conception and the ‘morning after’ pill is actually abortion.  Whether you agree with that or not is not the issue.  The issue is does an employer have to provide a benefit to their employee even if it violates their religious conviction?  The ACA contains a general "religious conscience" section which sets forth guidelines under which religious groups who have established conscientious objections to certain forms of insurance may seek exemption from its health insurance requirements, but it doesn’t include private businesses.

     Third and most importantly, Christians should pray the SCOTUS rule righteously in this case.  If they rule according to the Constitution, then Hobby Lobby should win, but the founding document is not always followed by the court.  While the court may think they are making this decision, this case is really in the hands of a holy, sovereign eternal God, not the SCOTUS.  He controls everything and has His way in the whirlwind.  Pray He have mercy on America and touch the hearts and minds of the justices.  An unfavorable ruling will accelerate the United State’s moral decline.