by Joshua J. McElwee
The president of the U.S. bishops has praised Monday's Supreme Court ruling regarding coverage of contraceptive services in health care plans, claiming that "justice has prevailed."
Issuing a statement in response to the Court's decision that some private corporations should be afforded religious exemptions from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) contraceptive mandate, Louisville, Ky., Archbishop Joseph Kurtz said the decision recognizes "that Americans continue to follow their faith when they run a family business."
"In this case, justice has prevailed, with the Court respecting the rights of the Green and Hahn families to continue to abide by their faith in how they seek their livelihood, without facing devastating fines," wrote Kurtz, who signed the statement along with Baltimore Archbishop William Lori, the head of the U.S. bishops' ad hoc committee for religious freedom.
"Now is the time to redouble our efforts to build a culture that fully respects religious freedom," the archbishops continue.
Monday's decision was made in regard to two companies that had cited religious objections to providing contraceptive services to their employees: Hobby Lobby, primarily owned by the Green family; and Conestoga Wood Specialties, primarily owned by the Hahn family.
Read the full story at National Catholic Reporter.
Related - Supreme Court: Some companies exempt from contraception coverage by Joshua J. McElwee