National News from AP World News from AP By JoAnne Viviano The Columbus Dispatch Monday October 13, 2014 11:34 PM <\/p>\n
CEDARVILLE, Ohio For Steve Green, it seemed a no-brainer that the U.S. Supreme Court would rule in favor of his company, Hobby Lobby. <\/p>\n
It had sought a religious exemption to a federal mandate that requires employers to provide employees insurance coverage for contraception, including morning-after pills. <\/p>\n
We have no desire, intent to impose our religion on any of our employees, and thats not what were asking for, Green, the president of the Oklahoma City-based craft-store chain, said last week during the Religious Freedom Summit at Cedarville University in western Ohio. <\/p>\n
Were just saying we want to not be forced to become an abortion provider by freely providing products that would take life. <\/p>\n
To Green, it seemed a simple decision in a country that has religious freedoms. <\/p>\n
At the summit, sponsored by Cedarville University and the Virginia-based Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, Green said defying the mandate could have cost his company more than $1 million a day in fines and put it out of business. <\/p>\n
The family-owned Hobby Lobby, citing its Christian beliefs, won its case in June, when the Supreme Court ruled that closely held, for-profit companies can claim a religious exemption. <\/p>\n
Many speakers at the summit said the issue is just one facet of potential infringements that religious leaders will need to stand up to. <\/p>\n
Religious organizations were among groups that challenged the contraception mandate, while others have argued that allowing exemptions could compromise the health of women employees and take away their right to make their own health-care decisions. <\/p>\n
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Advocates of religious freedom see need for strength<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" National News from AP World News from AP By JoAnne Viviano The Columbus Dispatch Monday October 13, 2014 11:34 PM CEDARVILLE, Ohio For Steve Green, it seemed a no-brainer that the U.S. Supreme Court would rule in favor of his company, Hobby Lobby. Continue reading