Supreme Court Hears Hobby Lobby Case in Contraception Challenge to Healthcare Law

Kristin Wright | Open Doors USA | Updated: Dec 02, 2013

Supreme Court Hears Hobby Lobby Case in Contraception Challenge to Healthcare Law

On Tuesday The U.S. Supreme Court added a new legal challenge to the health care law, agreeing to consider whether corporation owners who oppose abortion will be required to provide free coverage of government-approved forms of contraception – whether or not it conflicts with their religious beliefs.

“We believe this requirement is lawful and essential to women's health and are confident the Supreme Court will agree,” White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters on Tuesday.

One of the landmark cases taken up by the court is Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. The chain is solely owned by founder David Green and his family.

“This is a major step for the Greens and their family businesses in an important fight for Americans’ religious liberty,” says Kyle Duncan, general counsel of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and lead lawyer for Hobby Lobby. “We are hopeful that the Supreme Court will clarify once and for all that religious freedom in our country should be protected for family business owners like the Greens.”

In spite of the family’s victory in the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, the owners took the unusual step in October of joining the government in asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case.

“My family and I are encouraged that the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to decide our case,” Mr. Green, Hobby Lobby’s founder and CEO, says. “This legal challenge has always remained about one thing and one thing only: the right of our family businesses to live out our sincere and deeply held religious convictions as guaranteed by the law and the Constitution. Business owners should not have to choose between violating their faith and violating the law.”



Supreme Court Hears Hobby Lobby Case in Contraception Challenge to Healthcare Law