Washington, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), co-chair of the Bi-partisan Congressional Pro-Life Caucus, issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decisions today in the religious freedom cases of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Burwell:
 

         “This is a resounding victory for religious freedom, and more than that, freedom for all Americans who want to live and work according to the dictates of their conscience.  In handing the Obama Administration this historic defeat, the Court has upheld the conscience rights of Americans, including the Green and Hahn family businesses, and provided much needed relief from a discriminatory Obamacare policy. The Court’s decision also exposes the Constitutional problems inherent in this Obamacare mandate forcing American family business-owners to either violate their moral and religious beliefs by paying for insurance coverage of abortifacient drugs and devices—or pay massive fines to provide health insurance for their employees.

         “Notwithstanding today's victory affirming that Americans do not lose their conscience rights in the workplace, we must not forget that there remain more than 50 cases involving nonprofit organizations, including the University of Notre Dame and the Little Sisters of the Poor, which have sought similar relief in the courts in order to follow their religious beliefs as they provide healthcare for their employees. Next the Court will have to consider the Obama Administration's coercive rule, (the so-called ‘accommodation’) for religious nonprofits. This ‘accommodation’ is a distinction without a difference, and fails to protect the freedoms of charities that provide services to Americans and instead forces them to be complicit in activities they morally oppose. President Obama’s attempt to force these faith-based organizations to violate their religious beliefs cannot possibly stand after today’s decision.

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