DeGette, House Pro-Choice Leaders Who Led Amicus Brief to SCOTUS on Contraceptive Cases React To Ruling

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO) and Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY), co-Chairs of the House Pro-Choice Caucus and leaders of a 91-member amicus brief filed in the United States Supreme Court in support of the government in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v Burwell, issued the following statement reacting to the court's ruling this morning:

"With this ruling, the Court has allowed certain employers the freedom to impose their personal religious beliefs on their employees and has awarded another one of our precious constitutional rights – the right to free exercise of religion – to for-profit corporations," Reps. Slaughter and DeGette said. "Despite the Court's attempt to single out women's health care in today's opinion, it leaves the door open to employers being able to deny coverage of other essential health services such as a child's vaccine or a life-saving blood transfusion based on religious beliefs. The ruling could also open the door for more for-profit corporations to challenge other laws based on their religious beliefs. A woman's private medical decisions should never be subject to the approval of bosses, politicians, religious leaders, or anyone else, and we are disappointed that the Court has abandoned this long-standing interpretation of the Constitution's right to privacy."

Follow the House Pro Choice Caucus on Twitter at @HouseProChoice for updates throughout the day.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that a majority of Americans support the contraception mandate. According to the poll, "The poll asked whether employers should be able to choose what forms of contraceptives their health plans provide based on their religious beliefs. Of those responding, 53 percent disagreed and 35 percent agreed. Of those surveyed, 12 percent said they did not know." For those disagreeing that employers should be able to deny access to certain contraception, 40 percent strongly disagreed, and 13 percent somewhat disagreed.