LI Activists Protest Hobby Lobby Press Release

For Immediate Release: May 24th 2018

STAND UP FOR WOMEN’S RIGHTS – WE WILL NOT BECOME HANDMAIDS!

Massapequa , N.Y.—Hobby Lobby, a company that, with a ruling by the Supreme Court, can restrict a womans access to birth control based on the company’s religious beliefs, is opening two new stores on Long Island.  Women from communities throughout Long Island will meet at the new Massapequa location to rally and protest the opening of Hobby Lobby, the Green family and the imposition of their religious beliefs on the reproductive rights of women!

More than four years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that the government cannot require certain employers to provide insurance coverage for birth control if they conflict with the employer’s religious beliefs. The ruling on Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. was not only a blow to the Affordable Care Act but also to women’s rights.  Sadly, the attack on women is continuing today with attempted legislation to expand the rights of corporations over the rights of women.

When Hobby Lobby is allowed to limit insurance coverage to only certain types of contraceptives, or make it harder for women to obtain coverage, they erode access to birth control on a larger scale. Studies show that when women have better access to contraceptives, unintended pregnancies are reduced and the the abortion rate drops by 75% annually.  Not only does this ruling limit women’s access to contraceptives but can also cause an undue financial burden.

Women should decide when they will, or will not, have children. Women should not be forced to submit to the religious beliefs of their employers. Healthcare is compensation for work. Women should be able to choose the type of contraceptive they prefer or require without restriction by their employer.  When religion becomes the driving force in a woman’s reproductive rights, we run the risk of becoming real life Handmaids!

Our rally is organized by members of the Long Island Activists. Some of those gathered in protest will wear the recognizable red Handmaid’s robes & white bonnets from the Emmy-winning show the Handmaid’s Tale.

Who: Long Island Activists

What: Hobby Lobby Rally & Protest

When: Monday, May 28, 2018 – 1 p.m.

Where: Grand Opening of Hobby Lobby in Massapequa

Sunrise Promenade Shopping Center, 5278 Sunrise Hwy, Massapequa Park