VanceIX said:
Exactly. People, as in plural. Whose to say that everyone in a corporation follows the same beliefs as the board of the corporation does? With this law, unless you are at the top level, you must adhere to the religous beliefs of your workplace. It's not just the birth-control at risk here. If a corporation decides to identify itself as Islamic, can they force employees to wear hijabs? If a corporation is Hindu, can they force employees to stay away from beef? If a corporation is Christian, can they force everyone to have a Bible? An ordinary person cannot force their beliefs on anyone. This ruling is saying that if that "person" was corporation, they can. |
If they want to work for them? Sure, why not? If you work at McDonalds do you not have to wear their uniforms? You join the military you wear a uniform. You work for an auto mechanic you are wearing a unifrom. A sports team? Uniform. You are conforming to standards of dress all the time for work. WHy? Because the owners of the business want to convey a certain look that appeals to it's customers.
I think what you are saying is a stretch with the hijab, but I would say employers can even ban the wear of them so why not require them? Every business has the right to ask it's employees to present a certain appearance. What is different between an Islamic business that caters to Muslims in a traditional sense than say a strip joint that that presents an opposite environment. They'd probably fire a woman who came out dressed from head to toe and refused to strip it off would they not (unless that made the joint tons of money then I'm sure they'd be fine with it)?
Now if we are talking one of those evil, greedy corporations forcing you to be employed by them (indenturement or slavery) and wearing what they say every single minute of every single day on the job or not , worshiping their chosen deity then we have a problem.
By that same token I find it just fine if an evil, greedy corporation is atheistic and wants no mention of God or religious activity within their organization, while on the job, then they have the right to ask those religious employees to keep it to themselves while on the clock or be fired.
It says no such thing. It says an orginization cannot be forced to support something they do not believe in. In fact it says the opposite. It in no way prohibits employers from covering contraceptives if they so choose it just doesn't allow the government to force entities who have religious objections to provide them. Which is in keeping with the 1st amendment of the US Constitution.
I find it intellectually distressing that people are okay with enforcing a lack of religious expression but not the other way around. Not to say I am in favor of enforcing religious beliefs, but that the fervor in which the anti religious crowd has for scrubbing religion from every where but ones most private domain (their home, which even these days isn't so private) just as wrong as a Theocracy. They are two extreme sides of the same dishonest coin.
If you don't believe in God or pratice religion great for you and you should in no way be forced to do so. But to say that because religion is everywhere you look because a majority of others choose to engage on religion is not tantamount to infringement on your right to be an atheist. And neither is giving an employer who objects to abortive contraceptives the right to say we will not pay for your access to them.
