The federal government does not have the ability to censor a newspaper or the speech of any American citizen. The First amendment also protects religious freedoms and guarantees religious organizations do not have to abide by legislation against the congregation’s beliefs. Dozens of private organizations and companies have filed lawsuits against a 2012 contraception mandate set forth by the Obama administration which obligates employers in a non-religious group to provide contraception benefits with no extra cost to employees.

Because of the First Amendment, the federal government cannot force churches or religious groups to provide such benefits. So far, according to The Washington Post, 13 attorneys general are pushing the Obama administration to widen the exemptions to private businesses that object to contraception. They claim the mandate tramples the organizations’ religious freedoms and they should be allowed to deny contraception to employees. However, contraception is largely a matter of birth control, and birth control has been proven to help treat uterine diseases such endometriosis, according to studies by the University of Illinois-Chicago and Indiana University. By denying employees free access to birth control, one effectively denies them proper health benefits.

In present society, contraception has progressed to a matter of health rather than ideology, so even if a CEO does not believe in using contraception, he or she is not the spokesperson for the beliefs of each of his or her employees. The boss or a board of trustees cannot impose religious beliefs on their employees if the organization is not foundationally religious. The ideology of a few, in a non-religious business, cannot dictate pious policy if others in the workplace do not share the same views.

If you start to open the door for organizations that claim to disagree with the mandate, businesses throughout the country might claim they object to the mandate as well. The reasoning could in truth be financial, but if the CEO makes the case, it is possible to cover that up with religious rationale. Employees will begin to lose these health benefits that many already cannot afford.

It is inappropriate to assume each individual in a company or organization — other than churches and ideology-based groups, presumably — thinks similarly in regards to contraception. If an individual does not support the use of birth control, he or she can easily opt out. This should not take away the access of others to these healthcare needs.