This morning the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. This landmark case was first presented to SCOTUS on March 25 of this year in hopes of addressing “the constitutionally guaranteed rights of business owners to operate their family companies without violating their deeply held religious convictions.” [http://www.hobbylobbycase.com/] The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Hobby Lobby, stating that the government cannot require closely held corporations with religious owners to provide contraception coverage.
Under the justices’ 5-4 decision, the government can still pay for the coverage itself. The Obama Administration has stated that it will almost certainly do so.
The decision on this case will help other ongoing cases. Over 100 injunctions have been filed against the contraception mandate. [http://www.becketfund.org/hhsinformationcentral/]As Americans, we must never stop fighting for the protections of our constitutional rights. The government should never have the ability to infringe on those rights. It is the foundation of our country and our freedom, and we must uphold them if we are to survive.
ALGOP Chairman Bill Armistead made the following remarks:
“I am thankful for companies like Hobby Lobby who run their business based on Biblical truths. It is gratifying to see that the Supreme Court upheld this truth. America continues to be ‘the land of the free’ and as Hobby Lobby has demonstrated it is also ‘the home of the brave’.
“This issue was not just about the morality of birth control and its use, it was a reiteration that Americans do not surrender their religious freedom when they open a family business. The constitutional right to religious freedom does not stop at the church doors. I thank God for this victory and pray that it becomes the first step in restoring our constitution that President Obama has trampled time and again.”
RNC Chairman Reince Priebus made the following statement on the ruling:
“This decision protects the religious freedom that is guaranteed to all Americans by the First Amendment, and we’re grateful the Court ruled on the side of liberty. The central issue of this case was whether the federal government can coerce Americans to violate their deeply held religious beliefs, and thankfully the Court has upheld the proper limits on the government’s power.
“The fact that Americans had to bring this case in the first place reveals once again just how intrusive ObamaCare is. It’s a misguided one-size-fits-all policy that not only failed to fix our healthcare system but has trampled on our Constitutional rights. Americans deserve a healthcare system that allows them to make the right choices for themselves, gives them more freedom, and comes nowhere close to encroaching on our First Amendment rights.”