Letter: Hobby Lobby runs an unfair business

Hobby Lobby’s expansion and Supreme Court win is Burbank’s loss. After wondering who would fill OSH’s empty storefront, we now know it’s going to be Hobby Lobby. Personally, had it been any other store I’d be a happy camper, but I’m not setting foot in Hobby Lobby for a couple of reasons.

First is pure greed. Hobby Lobby’s owners want lawsuit and tax protections they get from incorporating. Though when something comes up that’s against the owner’s beliefs, they quickly dismiss the rules. It’s just not fair.

Secondly, I won’t let them use my hard-earned dollars to undermine the standards set by the Affordable Care Act. It’s about healthcare, not religion. The nonpartisan Institute of Medicine felt these medicines were important enough to include and classified them as “preventive care”. Unfortunately five men on the Supreme Court with zero medical training feel religious beliefs override employee healthcare. While they tried to narrow their ruling, it opens the door for others to want to override medical advice and common sense. What argument can be made that one person’s beliefs are less “important” than another’s? Rick Santorum is on record to want to deny women free prenatal screening. He fears women who find their fetus will be born with severe disabilities might get an abortion. Note to Santorum: That is the family’s difficult and private choice, not yours.

I prefer doctors make my healthcare and insurance decisions, not store owners and certainly not five conservative male justices on the Supreme Court. In the meantime I’ll be sticking with Burbank’s already great hobby-store universe like Gizmo’s Hobby, House of Hobbies, Michael’s and Once Upon A Page.

Alfred Aboulsaad
Burbank