U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Co-Chairman of the Congressional Pro-life Caucus, today released the following statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to take up Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood’s Religious Freedom cases.

    “President Obama’s use of the coercive power of the state to force people of faith and people of conscience to violate their fundamental convictions or suffer severe penalty is unconscionable and violates the basic principles of religious freedom that are so central to our Constitution,” Smith said.

    “The Supreme Court’s decision to take up the Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood cases gives reason to hope that they will provide much needed relief for family-owned businesses who find themselves in the impossible position of being forced to violate their moral or religious beliefs or face ruinous fines.”

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