I was very disturbed to read Sen. Mark Udall’s comments regarding the Supreme Court’s decision on the Hobby Lobby case (Herald, July 10). He and Sen. Patty Murray of Washington are supposed to introduce legislation that would negate the religious protections that decision provided for owners of closely held businesses. I am of the opinion that religious freedom in this country is more important than free abortifacients. The Hobby Lobby decision, although the left is doing all it can to confuse the issue, does not get between a woman and her doctor or deny her the right to obtain birth control. Sixteen forms of contraception are covered by Hobby Lobby’s insurance, with the exception of four that can be considered to trigger abortion.
Sen. Udall, in The Denver Post, says this: “Colorado’s Western traditions are rooted in a fundamental truth, embodied in our Constitution: that each person has the right to be left alone, to make his or her own choices, and to live life unencumbered.” It would seem to me that this statement perfectly justifies the Hobby Lobby decision. We are free to start a business and free to run it unencumbered by those who would deny our right to operate based on our firmly held religious beliefs. A woman who is deciding whether to work at Hobby Lobby, knowing this, could choose not to work there, or choose to work there with the knowledge that if she needed one of the four birth-control methods that her employer’s insurance didn’t cover, she would pay for it herself. To say that she is being denied “choice” is a deliberate misstatement – what we used to call a lie.
When I was of child-bearing age, I had to pay for my birth control, just like I paid for my thyroid medication. No one was denying me anything. I am deeply disappointed that Sen. Udall is trying to use this deception to influence women’s vote in November’s election. I will be voting for Rep. Cory Gardner.
Marianne Gilliam
Durango
