Passionate advocates on both sides of the issue showed up outside the Supreme Court this morning as the justices heard arguments in two cases in which businesses owned by Christian families are challenging a controversial Obamacare rule.
Lawyers for Hobby Lobby, owned by the Greens, and Conestoga Wood Specialties, owned by the Hahns, argued that the Obama administration would force them to cover abortion-inducing drugs in employee health plans — even though they object based on their constitutionally protected religious beliefs.
Jackie Anderson, correspondent for The Foundry, interviewed supporters of the HHS mandate (so called because it was written by the Department of Health and Human Services), as well as opponents who say the requirement forces religious employers to act against their beliefs or pay fines as high as $100 per employee per day.
Among those Anderson interviewed is Adele Keim, a lawyer with the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, who witnessed the arguments before the Supreme Court as part of Hobby Lobby’s legal team.
>>> Read More: How the Supreme Court Justices Reacted
Keim talked about the two cases afterward at the Bloggers Briefing held at The Heritage Foundation, where she was a guest along with Heritage policy analyst Sarah Torre and Greg Scott, spokesman for Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents Conestoga Wood.
“The clients were front and center, and the sincerity of their religious beliefs,” Keim told bloggers. “To them, the mandate is tantamount to providing abortions.”
“We agree bosses shouldn’t be involved in women’s health care decisions – so stop using the government to get them involved,” Scott said.
>>> Watch: Tough Questions on Religious Freedom, Obamacare
This story was produced by The Foundry’s news team. The video report was co-produced by Steve Weyrich and Ken McIntyre. Nothing here should be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of The Heritage Foundation.
