Lankford Joins Hobby Lobby at Supreme Court to Stand for Religious Freedom

Press Release

Representative James Lankford (R-OK) today stood in solidarity with the owners of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc.--a family-owned business with headquarters in Oklahoma's fifth district--as they brought their case before the Supreme Court against the Obama Administration's HHS mandate.

Hobby Lobby is a well respected company that provides their 16,000 full-time employees above-average compensation and benefits, as well as a generous healthcare plan. The owners of Hobby Lobby share a Christian faith and they disagree on religious grounds with the Administration's mandate to provide free abortifacient drugs to their employees.

If Hobby Lobby refuses to comply with the abortifacients coverage requirement, Hobby Lobby faces a fine of $36,500 per employee per year. If the company chooses not to provide healthcare coverage at all, they will face a fine of $2,000 per employee per year, demonstrating the Administration's clear insistence that its religious preferences supersede the religious preferences of Americans.

"The case before the Court today is an important moment to clarify that Americans will not stand idly by while the federal government threatens their ability to practice the religion of their choice," said Lankford.

"Oklahoma City-based Hobby Lobby represents many like-minded individuals and businesses around the country. The President and his administration cannot tell a person that they can practice their faith at home, but they cannot practice their faith at work. The company has rightfully taken their case to the highest court in the land to get a final answer on an issue the founders of our nation thought important enough to intentionally state as a freedom in the First Amendment to our Constitution. This Administration's insistence on putting its religious preferences first threatens the integrity of the First Amendment's protection for all Americans to freely practice the religion of their choice.

"Companies should not be fined into oblivion if their religious beliefs do not align with the President's beliefs. It is time for the Court to deliberate and decide to protect every family-owned business' right to freely practice their religion in opposition to the anti-freedom mandates in the Administration's healthcare law. I look forward to a swift decision in this case to provide clarity on whether freedom of religion remains a top priority in our nation," concluded Lankford.

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