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SALT LAKE CITY — The United States Supreme Court Monday ruled that some corporations can "opt out" of providing contraceptives to women through health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act.
The case centers on for-profit corporations like Hobby Lobby, a chain of crafts stores, and Conestoga Wood Specialties, which makes wood products.
Writing for the majority, Judge Samuel Alito cited a 1993 federal religious freedom law. He said it applied to for-profit corporations controlled by religious families.
Alito wrote that requiring the corporations to provide contraception coverage "imposed a substantial burden on the companies' religious liberty."
Among those applauding the ruling was Bishop John Wester of the Utah Catholic Diocese. He praised the Hobby Lobby decision as a victory of conscience.
“This decision allows a person to have his business and make moral decisions based on his well-formed conscience,” Bishop Wester said.
But there is a sharp backlash against the ruling among self-described feminist groups and others who advocate in favor of women's rights.
This decision allows a person to have his business and make moral decisions based on his well-formed conscience.
–Bishop John Wester, UT Catholic Diocese
Planned Parenthood's Kerry Galloway called the ruling "devastating" because it puts politics over women's health.
“The owner’s personal religious views take precedent over the public health of those women,” Galloway said. “I find that unconscionable.”
But Bishop Wester disagrees with that statement.
"Women's health is very important," he said. "I would not see something, though, for example ... abortion, having to do with women's health. That's a completely different issue."
The ruling also touches on a company's right to match its policies with its beliefs.
A Deseret News editorial in support of the ruling said the ruling upholds this nation's long-held commitment to religious liberty.
Related:
Court: Religious rights trump birth control rule
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that some corporations can hold religious objections that allow them to opt out of the new health law requirement that they cover contraceptives for women.Editor Paul Edwards said the ruling gives added protection to companies owned by people who espouse religious values.
“These companies can now go to a court and say, it looks like our substantially held belief is being burdened in a significant way, and have standing to do so,” Edwards said.
As for the Catholic church, Bishop Wester said it stands to benefit from the ruling by not having to pay for contraception through its hospitals.
He also said he supports the Affordable Care Act to help people who cannot afford insurance, but not the contraception component because the church does not want government defining its morals.
