Rep. Kelly Celebrates Supreme Court Ruling in Favor of Religious Liberty

Statement

U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) issued the following statement today in response to the ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that the federal government cannot force religious owners of "closely-held" corporations to pay for drugs or services that violate their religious beliefs. The cases, Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Sebelius, involved a challenge by two family-owned businesses to the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department's mandate under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) which requires employers to provide employees with insurance coverage for contraceptive services, including birth control pills, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs.

"The highest court in our land has spoken loud and clear: the core religious freedoms of the American people are not subordinate to this president or his disastrous health care law. With this monumental ruling, religious liberty prevails and Obamacare's oppressive mandate loses."

"No government program or politician must ever be permitted to punish an American citizen for following his or her faith. Freedom of conscience -- without government-imposed consequence -- is not a Republican right or a Democrat right but an ironclad American right. Today's decision should serve as a permanent reminder that our Bill of Rights is not negotiable and that the God-given liberty of the American people will never be taken without a fight."

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