Congressman Scott DesJarlais on Monday issued the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision in the Hobby Lobby case. The court ruled in a 5-4 decision that some private companies can take a religious exemption and not offer health insurance coverage that would cover contraception.
He said, “No Individual or organization should ever be forced to choose between violating their own personal religious beliefs and fulfilling a government mandate. I applaud today’s Supreme Court ruling, which reaffirms our constitutionally protected religious freedoms.”
Senator Bob Corker said, “Today’s Supreme Court ruling affirms the government cannot disregard the freedom of religion and force private business owners to ignore the core tenets of their beliefs.”
In 2012, Senator Corker cosponsored The Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, legislation introduced by Senator Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) that would ensure no mandate in the health care law would force anyone to violate their religious beliefs.
Representative and U.S. Senate candidate Joe Carr said, "Today is a great victory for all Americans who have taken a stand against President Obama's lawlessness and assault on our Constitutional rights. The Obama Administration's efforts to impose unconstitutional mandates on people of faith is as wrong as it is disturbing. While today marks a great victory, there is no question that attacks out of Washington on our liberties will continue and we must remain vigilant and steadfast in our opposition to them. There is more work to be done."
Congressman Fleischmann said, “This morning, the Supreme Court defended religious freedoms by affirming that the federal government cannot infringe upon the religious beliefs of businesses like Hobby Lobby by forcing them to pay for contraceptives. Today’s ruling is a huge victory for religious liberties and the protection of the unborn, and yet another halt to Obama’s overreaching power. Our nation was founded on the core value of religious freedom, and Obamacare’s contraceptive mandate is a violation of this most fundamental liberty. The American people should never have to compromise their values or sacrifice their freedoms, and we must continue fighting to secure these Constitutional rights for all individuals and organizations.”
David Fowler, president of The Family Action Council of Tennessee, said, "Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is a great day for religious liberty in our country. The Court rightly recognized that in our country the law should not require individuals to violate the tenets of their religious beliefs in order to operate their private businesses. They have upheld the promise made by our Founding Fathers that this would be a nation in which religious liberty would forever be freely exercised without oppression by civil government.
"The abortifacients mandate in Obamacare put individuals in the position of having to choose between obeying the law or the dictates of their conscience. All freedom-loving people in America owe a debt of gratitude to the owners of these two companies for being the latest in a long line of courageous Americans who have stood for freedom against government tyranny and religious oppression.
"Hopefully, today’s decision will serve as a strong rebuke to those who have expansive views on the reach of civil government and a disdain for individuals whose religious viewpoints form the basis for their decisions and actions. It is good to know that individual business owners can still carry their religious beliefs into the marketplace when they leave home."