Why This Hobby Lobbies For Religious Freedom

This week the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby as a "closely held" corporation, which according to my friend and IUK colleague Linda (a #yogathea who is very involved teaching her business law classes thus neglecting her yoga class) "brings up a host of other issues" about whether public corporations can hold firmly held religious beliefs reflected in their mission, vision and core values statements. If you're unaware of the details of this case, Hobby Lobby, a national craft store chain founded and operated by a religious group with fundamental beliefs about birth control, appealed to the US Supreme Court to be exempt of providing birth control options as a part of their employee health care plan as now mandated by Obamacare.

The last I knew, health insurance provided by an employer is a privilege not a right.  Because of this, I am grateful President Obama is making efforts to have health insurance accessible to all.  However, thank you to Your Honors for protecting the religious freedom of businesses as I run a "closely held" Christian Yoga corporation that relies on exercising freedom on a regular basis.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm all about women exercising their freedom to use birth control pills for whatever purposes, I simply don't understand why someone thought is was their employer's responsibility to pay for this inexpensive and accessible prescription. Evidently they don't want to accept the financial responsibility here.   Taking personal responsibility for ones health involves making informed choices on nutrition and exercise and following through to provide the resources to enable health.  The resources are often time, money and energy which Americans don't want to give.  Instead, American Citizens  place the responsibility of their personal health in the hands of their employers, hoping to avoid committing money, time or energy.  Employers are assuming this responsibility and directing health decisions for us.  Now, our employers and insurance companies are desperately trying to educate and incentivize us to take responsibility, though based on the sedentary look of these Justices above and the observation that more people patron restaurants than gyms on Monday nights(simultaneously the gym's busiest night of the week and the restaurants slowest); I'm guessing we aren't going to take responsibility for our health and our healthcare will be dictated by our employers' insurance company protocols.  This too may eventually influence our personal religious freedom as these protocols are likely going to be more sensitive to the business' core values, not to the many personal religious beliefs out there.  This young lady seems to have the right idea to "stand" for religious freedoms!  I doubt she is worried about what her employer's health care plan covers... (even if she may need help for cramps :-O)

Assuming responsibility for your health could very well protect your religious freedom.  Most of my #yogatheas participate in class as a hobby of sorts, this lobbies for their religious freedom.  Bike races, community runs, yoga class participation, tracking body-bug data are only a few of the hobbies that help you assume responsibility and lobby for your religious freedom.  I love teaching and training the Christian Yoga Instructors because I see them exercising their religious freedom in their communities. Most of these instructors teach as a hobby and this hobby lobbies for religious freedom.