In June, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear the case of a privately owned pharmacy in Washington State, Ralph's Thriftway, which refused to sell Plan B birth control. The fact that Plan B can prevent implantation of a fertilized egg (a human embryo) went against the pharmacy owners' religious beliefs.
In 2007 the state of Washington adopted regulations that its pharmacies can't refer people to get medications at a different location for any kind of religious or moral beliefs.
Storman's Inc, the owner of Ralph's Thriftway, stated that there were 33 other pharmacies within 5 miles of Ralph's Thriftway.
By refusing to hear the case, the U.S. Supreme Court has let stand, by default, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denial of claims.
In other words-the state of Washington can make Ralph's Thriftway sell Plan B birth control.
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The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear this case, even though dispensing Plan B went against the pharmacy's First Amendment free-exercise clause in the U.S. Constitution.
The First Amendment to the Constitution states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof...
Justice Alito, one of the three justices that voted to hear the case, wrote, "If this is a sign of how religious-liberty claims will be treated in the years ahead, those who value religious freedom have cause for great concern."
Didn't the Pilgrims come to this land in search of religious liberty and aren't some of the courts now taking that liberty away from this pharmacy and ultimately from the rest of us?
I'm no big fan of Donald Trump but what will happen is Hillary Clinton is elected our next president and appoints more liberal justices to the Supreme Court?
What will happen to our remaining religious liberties?
Patrick Borden
Brainerd
