Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick Celebrate Reduced Access to Contraceptives
Today, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby in a case that weighed the rights of private companies to deny their employees access to contraceptives under their insurance plans.
While many view this as a damaging reduction in access to some of the most effective preventative medicine for family planning services, two of the statewide candidates for public office in Texas chose to take to Twitter to celebrate the news. Greg Abbott, the GOP's gubernatorial candidate, and Dan Patrick, who secured the nomination for Lieutenant Governor after his runoff, both hail the decision as a victory for religious liberty - though it comes at the expense of women's health.
It should come as no surprise that these two lawmakers see the Supreme Court's ruling in Hobby Lobby's favor as reason to celebrate. Their party just approved an incredibly anti-woman platform, including explicit support for the rights of those working in the medical field to express their religious freedom by refusing to provide birth control.
One only needs to look at their statements to see it clearly: for these candidates, religious freedom only applies to those who are attempting to limit access to reproductive healthcare.
More at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/15389/greg-abbott-and-dan-patrick-celebrate-reduced-access-to-contraceptives .
