On November 26, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores (previously Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores), a case arising out of commitment of the Green family, the sole owners of Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., to live out their deeply held religious convictions by “operating their company in a manner consistent with biblical principles.” These principles were put to the test when the federal government mandated that the Greens and
their family businesses provide four specific potentially life-terminating drugs and devices through their employee health plan in conflict with their deeply held religious convictions. While the Green family has no moral objection to providing 16 of the 20 FDA-approved drugs and devices that are part of the federal mandate, providing drugs or devices that have the potential to terminate a life conflicts with their faith.
The Green Family Businesses: Living Out Deeply Held Convictions
Accordingly, the Greens and their family businesses filed suit in September 2012 to defend their right to religious freedom under the Constitution and federal law. Throughout, the Greens have been assisted and represented in the legal case by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a non-profit, public-interest legal and
educational institute with a mission to protect the free expression of all faiths. Oral arguments were heard before the U.S. Supreme Court on March 25, 2014 (Excerpts from those arguments can be heard here). A decision on the case is expected before the end of the Court’s session in June. 