Hobby Lobby Ruling “A Milestone Event” for Religious Freedom

Spokeswoman for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Jessica Moody, commented that the Hobby Lobby ruling decided upon by the Supreme Court is, “a milestone event in upholding religious freedom.” As reported by the Salt Lake Tribune.

The Church had filed an amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief expressing their concerns over the possible implications of the decision. They argued that for-profit businesses have a right not to provide “drugs and devices believed to sometimes cause abortions” if those drugs are counter to their religious beliefs.

[quote_box_right]The decision as to how many children to have and when to have them is extremely intimate and private and should be left between the couple and the Lord. Church members should not judge one another in this matter.

-Handbook 2[/quote_box_right]The LDS Church does not oppose birth control as a means of family planning. It leaves the decision on when to have children and how many to have up to the couple. The decision has been hailed as a victory for religious freedom and shows that the court recognizes that private companies are run by individuals whose religious beliefs vary from government mandated law and regulations.

There are some, however, who are weary of the decision. Current BYU law professor Frederick Gedicks gave the opinion that the religious exception Hobby Lobby asked for violates employees‘ religious rights, not the rights of the employer.

“Now every time a for-profit business or owner has a religious objection to some government regulation,” Gedicks said, “the courts will have to figure out whether the government interests are important enough and narrowly drawn enough to justify the burden.”

For now, a precedent has been set by the court that for-profit businesses have a right to be excluded from government laws that burden their religious beliefs, and only time will tell what will come of it.