Early polling following the Supreme Court's contentious Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby ruling shows that nearly half of U.S. voters support the decision to exempt closely-held companies from birth control mandates that violate their owners' religious conscience.
A Rasmussen poll found 49 percent of respondents agree that a business owner "should be able to opt out of Obamacare's contraceptive mandate if it violates his or her religious beliefs," while 39 percent of voters oppose an exemption for the private sector.
The same poll did find that 43 percent of likely voters believe businesses should be required to provide all government-approved contraceptives without cost to patients, with 47 percent taking the view that employer plans should not be forced to cover these drugs, devices and procedures.
AP
Another survey conducted by the Huffington Post and YouGov before the ruling found that 44 percent of Americans sided with Hobby Lobby on an exemption for religious business owners, while 40 percent said these businesses should be forced to cover the drugs, regardless of religious perspective.
As the Huffington Post noted, though, these proportions change based on how questions are asked.
Rasmussen's results, which were released Wednesday, were specific in assessing Americans' views on the matter.
The polling firm asked, "Should businesses be required by law to provide health insurance that covers all government-approved contraceptives for women without co-payments or other charges to the patient?" and "If providing such health insurance coverage violates the religious beliefs of a business' owner, should the business be allowed to opt out of providing coverage for contraceptives?"
See other polls conducted on the subject here.
(H/T: Weekly Standard)
