Later this morning U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and advocates will gather outside the Hobby Lobby in Manchester to call on the company to offer its employees full contraceptive coverage.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 30 ruling found that some businesses can, because of their religious beliefs, choose not to comply with the federal health care law’s requirement that contraception coverage be provided to workers. Hobby Lobby was the plaintiff in the case.
Blumenthal said Connecticut law mandates that all health insurance coverage through group or individual policies must provide “coverage for prescription contraceptive methods approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration.”
“Religious liberty is about the right to practice your own religion, not the right of bosses to impose religious beliefs on employees,” Blumenthal said. “I am calling on Hobby Lobby to do the right thing and provide full contraceptive coverage to its Connecticut employees. Connecticut residents have enjoyed a long history of respect for individual rights and I urge Hobby Lobby to comply with our state laws.”
The Manchester location is not opened yet, but it will be located in a building previously occupied by Sports Authority. The only other Hobby Lobby store in Connecticut is located in East Haven.
The Oklahoma-based company sells arts and crafts and has 561 stores nationwide.
Blumenthal will be joined Monday by Healthcare Advocate Victoria Veltri, Chris Miron of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, Susan Yolen of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, and Christine Palm of the Permanent Commission on the Status of Women.