Portman Statement on Supreme Court Decision on Hobby Lobby Case

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.:

“Today’s ruling reaffirms our nation’s commitment to religious freedom,” Portman stated. “The government should not force citizens to violate their religious beliefs in order to operate a business, and Obamacare’s contraception mandate infringes upon religious liberties. I am pleased that the Court has ruled that the mandate is unlawful.”

Portman signed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to strike down the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) requirement that employers subsidize coverage of sterilization and contraceptives, even if doing so goes against their religious beliefs. Portman also cosponsored the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011, which would have allowed a health plan to decline to cover specific items and services that violate the religious or moral beliefs of the person or organization offering or purchasing the plan.

Portman also raised his concerns about the ACA’s effect on religious liberties in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder on February 6, 2012. In his letter, Portman explained, consistent with the Court’s ruling today, that the ACA’s contraception mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993.