The Week: Damon Linker: Why Liberals Should Support the Hobby Lobby Decision

Source:The New Democrat

I agree with Damon Linker that real Liberals as I call people who are actually Liberals should support the Hobby Lobby decision. But perhaps I would put it differently. That it is one thing to be pro-choice which I am on most things as a Liberal. But it is another thing to say that you are not only pro-choice and lets take birth control to use as an example and that you believe women should have this right so much that you believe government should enforce that belief on the rest of the country even through law.

I believe in a hell of a lot of individual freedom as a Liberal and that is really what liberalism is about. Liberation and liberty what the word actually comes from. A bit different from collectivist or collectivism or the collective things that well collectivists tend to believe Socialists even. That "individual freedom by itself is dangerous and if you allow individuals to make these decisions for themselves you are giving them freedom to make mistakes that society have to pay for". Which is the common view of people who are supposed to be the so-called modern Liberals and Progressives. But they aren't, instead they are collectivists and statists which is very different.

But my broader point is you can believe in all of the individual freedom in the world. But if you don't match that with personal responsibility and that freedom is not free and that people need to be held responsible for their own personal choices. And that one's personal freedom can't infringe on others. Like forcing someone or organizations to pay for your own health care even if it goes against their religious beliefs. That is when and only when freedom is dangerous. When people aren't responsible for their own personal choices. And are allowed to infringe on others freedom and beliefs.

If you want birth control and decide to have an abortion, by all means more power to you. Just as long as I don't have to pay for it as an individual or no one else has to pay for it by law. Or we as taxpayers don't have to pay for it collectively. Which is why I agree with the Supreme Court Hobby Lobby decision. Because they aren't saying you can't have birth control, (at least not collectively) but what they are saying is that you can't force others to pay for your birth control.