Hatch: Contraception mandate violates Religious Freedom Restoration Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a current member and former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a lead author of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, issued the following statement Tuesday after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on challenges to the Health and Human Services’ contraception mandate on the grounds that it violates RFRA:

Congress could not have been clearer in the Religious Freedom Restoration Act that the religious liberty of all Americans, individually or collectively, must be equally protected. The Obama administration has admitted that they did not even consider the impact of Obamacare on religious liberty, and their arguments today in the Supreme Court showed that they still don’t care about it. But most Americans believe in both religious liberty and equal treatment, and I expect that the Supreme Court will uphold both principles in this case.

Sen. Hatch was the lead Republican sponsor of RFRA when it passed Congress in 1993 – by a 97-3 vote in the Senate, and unanimously in the House – and was signed into law by President Clinton. The law provides that the government may not substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion unless it is the least restrictive means of furthering a compelling government purpose. In February 2013, Hatch led a group of Members of Congress in filing an amicus brief in support of Hobby Lobby’s rights under RFRA when the case was before U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, and led a second group in submitting a legal brief in the case currently before the Supreme Court.

Submitted by the Office of Sen. Orrin Hatch

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8 Comments

  • Bub March 27, 2014 at 11:28 am

    I feel violated whenever I see Orrin’s face.

  • D Hodja March 27, 2014 at 12:35 pm

    Does Hatch ever have anything to say pertinent to this century? Hint: The answer is “No”. Hatch must go if Utah wants to be seen as a national player. He is not only archaic and embarrassing he is holding us all back at this point. Let’s thank him for his service and embrace change.

  • JOSH DALTON March 27, 2014 at 12:40 pm

    politics….yawn! How many different ways do politicians have to word things just get thier personel beliefs passed in legislation.

  • BSMETER March 27, 2014 at 2:00 pm

    Instead of complaining about him, vote him out. I will bet that the next guy is a republican. I also bet that nothing changes. We need to get rid of the two party system.

  • DB March 27, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    Term Limits!!

    • Brian March 27, 2014 at 5:21 pm

      Studies show term limits increase the likelihood a country goes to war. Besides, even if it didn’t, adopting term limits means the only institutionalized memory in the congress comes in the form of Lobbyists. If You think things are bad now, just imagine how much worse they would be then.

      • Dana March 28, 2014 at 6:17 am

        It can’t be any worse than having the Crypt Keeper in a lifetime position. The repubs. have no new ideas. Frankly, this is just another knee jerk reaction. Orrin needs to retire so he can concentrate on his botox and sappy songs.

  • Crypt Keeper March 28, 2014 at 8:17 am

    stare closely into the image of ‘Orrin’s ‘ eyes , make the image cover your screen,
    now start humming….. ‘home on the range’

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