<p> On June 30, 2014, the Supreme Court of the United States decided in favor of Hobby Lobby, Inc. in the landmark decision of <i>Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, Inc.</i> This decision established a significant new legal principle, substantially changing the interpretation of the Affordable Care Act, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and for-profit business rights. This thesis uses hermeneutic rhetorical theory to study the majority and dissenting opinions of the <i>Hobby Lobby, Inc.</i> decision to explicate the inherent paternalistic function within the rhetorical arguments of protection, corporate personhood, choice, sincerity, and the burden versus entitlement binary. Beyond the <i>Hobby Lobby, Inc.</i> decision, I argue that paternalism lies at the heart of many of the differences in feminist hermeneutics on abortion. This thesis promotes a more tolerant and respectful examination of the abortion debate with the higher goal of reaching a greater understanding of our social condition.</p>