By Steve Olafson
OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec 20 (Reuters) - A U.S. federal appeals
court on Thursday rejected a claim by an arts and crafts chain
that wants to be exempted from a requirement to provide
emergency contraceptives to employees because it violates the
religious principles of its owners.
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver ruled against
family-owned Hobby Lobby's assertion that the religious beliefs
of its owners should relieve them from providing the "morning
after" and "week after" pills to their employees, as required
under President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reforms.
Hobby Lobby vowed to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
"The Green family is disappointed with this ruling," said
Kyle Duncan, general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious
Liberty, which is assisting Hobby Lobby in the legal case. "The
Greens will continue to make their case on appeal that this
unconstitutional mandate infringes their right to earn a living
while remaining true to their faith."
The medications at issue are classified as emergency
contraceptives by the Food and Drug Administration, but the
owners of Hobby Lobby call them "abortion-inducing drugs"
because they are often taken after conception.
The lawsuit is among 42 legal actions that have been filed
over the issue, according to the Becket Fund for Religious
Liberty, a non-profit law firm in Washington, D.C.
The company faces fines of up to $1.3 million daily if it
disobeys the mandate, which takes effect on Jan. 1 for Hobby
Lobby, a $3 billion chain, and its smaller sister operation,
Mardel, a Christian-oriented bookstore and educational supply
company.
Both companies are owned by the Green family of Oklahoma
City, whose patriarch, David Green, is ranked 79th on Forbes
Magazine's list of the 400 richest Americans, with a net worth
of $4.5 billion.
The family operates 514 Hobby Lobby stores in 41 states and
employ 13,240 people. Inspirational Christian music is played in
the stores, which are closed on Sundays.
U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton of the Western District of
Oklahoma ruled on Nov. 19 that the privately-owned companies are
secular, for-profit enterprises that do not possess the same
religious rights as the individual members of the family.
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