MASON CITY – A local retailer in Mason City continues to be a part of a national controversy involving Obamacare and whether the Federal government has the authority under the constitution to force a business to participate in a program that the business owners claim violates their religious principles.
Today is “Standing with Hobby Lobby Day” and it is being observed across the country.
According to a Facebook page dedicated to the event, “On Saturday, January 5th, all Americans who value freedom of religion and oppose the HHS Mandate’s unfair impositions upon religious individuals and corporate entities are called upon to show their support for Hobby Lobby by shopping either at their local retail Hobby Lobby store or online.”
The Mason City Hobby Lobby store is located at 2566 4th Street Southwest.
According to Store Manager Lance Nath, he has received on-going updates on the status of a lawsuit filed by Hobby Lobby founder and CEO David Green, and is well aware of today’s event.
“We are already busy,” said Mr. Nath. “Whether we do 10% more or 15% more today, I don’t know. I think (the event) will be a good thing.”
According to Mr. Green, Obamacare will have negative affect on his business and violate his religious principles.
“A new government health care mandate says that our family business MUST provide what I believe are abortion-causing drugs as part of our health insurance,” Mr. Green recently stated. “Being Christians, we don’t pay for drugs that might cause abortions, which means that we don’t cover emergency contraception, the morning-after pill or the week-after pill. We believe doing so might end a life after the moment of conception, something that is contrary to our most important beliefs. It goes against the Biblical principles on which we have run this company since day one. If we refuse to comply, we could face $1.3 million PER DAY in government fines.”
According to news reports, A federal judge dismissed on Friday a lawsuit the University of Notre Dame had filed against the HHS mandate compelling religious groups and businesses to pay for drugs for their employees that may cause abortions.