MISSION, Kan. — In a five to four ruling, the United States Supreme Court sided with Hobby Lobby saying the Federal Religious Freedom Law applied to corporations who operate companies based on their religious principles.
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In a statement from Hobby Lobby, the company says, the high court decision reaffirmed the vital importance of religious liberty as one of our country’s founding principles.
Hobby Lobby’s website reads:
A VICTORY FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY
“Our family is overjoyed by the Supreme Court’s decision. Today the nation’s highest court has re-affirmed the vital importance of religious liberty as one of our country’s founding principles. The Court’s decision is a victory, not just for our family business, but for all who seek to live out their faith. We are grateful to God and to those who have supported us on this difficult journey.”
-Barbara Green, co-founder of Hobby Lobby
However, a local representative with the national organization for women says the high court’s ruling is wrong.
“The women that work at those companies should be free to make their own healthcare decisions. the companies are not doctors, they are not churches, they should not be making medical or moral decisions for their employees,” said Amy Bell with the Kansas Chapter of the National Organization for Women.
Like Hobby Lobby, J.E. Dunn says it operates its construction company based on the owner’s religious principals and provided a legal brief to the Supreme Court in support of Hobby Lobby.
“The Dunn family shares their religious principles and wanted to operate the company with those religious and when they saw the hobby lobby case they wanted to take part in some way,” said Tom Whittaker, of J.E. Dunn.
The owner of Randy Reid, a dealership in the northland is also pleased with the high court’s ruling.
“We never provided any form of abortion, with our health care policies so we didn’t want to have to start doing that,” said Randy Reed.
Bell says there are activists in the nation’s capital drafting legislation to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision.
“The battle is far from over,” said Bell.
If you’d like to read the brief, CLICK HERE for the full 95 page Supreme Court decision.
