Missouri Off Grid News - Gay rights groups withdrawing support of ENDA after contraceptive decision Several major gay rights groups withdrew support Tuesday for legislation that would bolster gay and transgender rights in the workplace, saying they fear that private companies will use a recent Supreme Court ruling to claim religious exemptions from the bill. The calls to rewrite the Employment Non-Discrimination Act(ENDA) mark a major setback for the White House, which had used Senate passage of the legislation last fall as a way to draw a contrast with House Republicans, who have refused to vote on the measure. The groups said they can no longer back ENDA as currently written in light of a decision last week by the Supreme Court, which ruled that Hobby Lobby and other closely held businesses do not have to offer their employees contraceptive coverage if it conflicts with the owners’ religious beliefs. Signs of crumbling support for ENDA came first Tuesday from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, one of several gay rights groups that pushed Obama to expand gay rights since the start of his presidency. “If a private company can take its own religious beliefs and say you can’t have access to certain health care, it’s a hop, skip and a jump to an interpretation that a private company could have religious beliefs that LGBT people are not equal or somehow go against their beliefs and therefore fire them,” said Rea Carey, the group’s executive director. Read Full Article The post Gay rights groups withdrawing support of ENDA after contraceptive decision appeared first on Trunews:. ift.tt/1ozT0o0 #trunews #docburkhart
Posted on: Wed, 09 Jul 2014 04:07:39 +0000