You may have seen today’s supreme court ruling that has made it more difficult for women to get access to birth control as part of their health plans if their employer has religious or moral objections to contraceptives. This ruling allows more employers to deny birth control to women if they have any religious or moral objection, without filing for an exemption with the government.
We respect the court’s decision… however, we do not believe that any executive’s personal religion/spiritual beliefs should dictate the health insurance coverage for our ~ 100+ employee company. Instead, each individual and their doctor are free to make the best health-related decisions, based on that person’s religion, beliefs, needs & desires.
Adafruit aims to be “Employer of Choice” – we offer the same excellent health care to all of our employees, whether they just started or have been with us for a decade, with full ACA compliance and other great benefits!
-Limor “Ladyada” Fried – Founder and Engineer, Adafruit 7/8/2020
Earlier today, the Supreme Court of the United States decided “Burwell v. Hobby Lobby” in favor of Hobby Lobby (and Conestoga Wood). This court case related to the rights of private, individual/family-owned companies to make decisions on their employer-provided health care with respect to said family’s religious beliefs. In this case, the two companies argued that they should not be required to cover certain reproductive services for women based on their strongly-held beliefs if it imposes a “substantial burden.” [For more details on this ruling, the Majority Opinion and Dissent is available here.]
As the private 100% individual-owner of Adafruit, I respect the court’s decision. However, I do not believe that my personal religion/spiritual beliefs should dictate the health insurance coverage for our 50+ employee company. Instead, each individual and their doctor are free to make the best health-related decisions, based on that person’s religion, beliefs, needs & desires. Adafruit aims to be “Employer of Choice” – we offer excellent health care to all of our employees, with full ACA compliance and other great benefits.
-Limor “Ladyada” Fried – Founder and Engineer, Adafruit 6/30/2014
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
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