“I am absolutely outraged by today’s Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision, which explicitly allows for-profit companies to eliminate or limit the birth control coverage their employees receive. It’s hard to believe we live in a country where the Supreme Court believes it is okay for businesses to deny basic health care to women based on their owners’ religious beliefs. A decision made by a woman regarding her own health is no business of the people she works for; a person’s boss shouldn’t have a say in their family planning. Period.

“This ruling highlights the importance of passing legislation in our state to protect women’s rights, including all 10 points of the Women’s Equality Act. By passing each and every one of the points in the WEA, we would not only ensure a woman’s reproductive rights and pay equity, but also further protect women from all forms of harassment, discrimination, not to mention strengthening the anti-human trafficking law of 2007, which I authored.

“It is simply astounding that in this day and age a business owner can impose their own religious values on their employees. While we have worked hard to pass legislation in the Assembly that would prevent employers from discriminating against an employee on the basis of the individual’s or a dependent’s decisions about their own health and body, there is more work to be done and I will continue fighting for women in our state until full equality for women is a reality.”