WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., issued the following statement after the Supreme Court ruled, by a vote of 5-4, that it is unconstitutional for the government to mandate that employers provide emergency contraceptives for their employees:

“Americans should not be forced to decide between their faith and their health insurance. Today’s decision is a victory for the First Amendment and the religious freedom it guarantees to every American.”

Background

The President’s health-care law, enacted in 2010, required employers to offer insurance plans that cover certain forms of contraceptives, including abortifacients. Two family-owned companies, Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties, argued that the mandate violated their religious beliefs.

In January, Wicker was joined by 15 Senators and 72 members of the House of Representatives in filing an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in support of the family-owned businesses.