International Offices Responds to Supreme Court Ruling
The International Offices of the Church of God has released a statement related to the ruling yesterday from the United States Supreme Court.
The justices ruled 5-4 yesterday in favor of arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby Monday, stating that business owners can object on religious grounds to a provision of the new healthcare law that requires closely-held companies to provide health insurance that covers birth control. The decision means employees of those companies will have to obtain certain forms of birth control from other sources.
Although a ruling in the opposite direction would not have mandated the International Offices or any other affiliates of the Church of God to forcibly comply with the mandate, Church of God General Overseer Mark Williams is of the opinion that the Supreme Court’s ruling was a victory for retailers and business owners who espouse Christian values as their corporate mantra.
“The decision by the United States Supreme Court is a tremendous encouragement to those of us concerned about religious liberty and the sanctity of human life,” Williams said. “By providing an exception to the abortifacient mandate contained in the Affordable Care Act, the Court affirmed that people of Faith do not have to sacrifice their religious convictions in order to hold a job, own a business, or provide health insurance. I applaud the Court’s decision.”
