LYNNWOOD, Wash. – The Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW) praised today’s decision by the Supreme Court upholding conscience rights and religious freedom of family owned businesses who object to paying for sterilization, contraception and drugs that cause abortions.
FPIW Executive Director Joseph Backholm said, “This is one of the most significant decisions of our generation. Everyone who cares about freedom should be encouraged by the fact that individuals don’t surrender their religious freedom simply because they become job creators.”
“The government’s mandate gave family owned businesses two on-choices: either violate your deeply held beliefs and pay for something you believe is wrong or pay a fine of $100, per employee, per day. In the case of Hobby Lobby, that is $1.3 million per day. It is sad that the government would want to do this to its citizens, but it is encouraging that the Supreme Court affirmed that they cannot. It is simply unkind to conclude that because I have the right to buy something I also have the right to force you to provide it for me.”
“In a free and diverse society, we respect the freedom to live out our convictions, not just in private, but in the way we conduct our lives in public as well,” Backholm concluded.
