The Supreme Court ruled Monday that some companies like the Oklahoma-based Hobby Lobby chain of arts-and-craft stores can avoid the contraceptives requirement in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, if they have religious objections.
A sampling of reaction:
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"Today, the Supreme Court took an outrageous step against the rights of America's women, setting a dangerous precedent that could permit for-profit corporations to pick and choose which laws to obey." — House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
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"Today's decision is a victory for religious freedom and another defeat for an administration that has repeatedly crossed constitutional lines in pursuit of its big government objectives." — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
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"Employers have no business intruding in the private health care decisions women make with their doctors. ... If the Supreme Court will not protect women's access to health care, then Democrats will." — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.
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"Today's Supreme Court decision makes clear that the Obama administration cannot trample on the religious freedoms that Americans hold dear." — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
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"Our family is overjoyed by the Supreme Court's decision. Today the nation's highest court has re-affirmed the vital importance of religious liberty as one of our country's founding principles. The Court's decision is a victory, not just for our family business, but for all who seek to live out their faith." — Barbara Green, Hobby Lobby co-founder.
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"President Obama believes that women should make personal health care decisions for themselves rather than their bosses deciding for them." — White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
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"Today, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of religious freedom by taking a stand with Hobby Lobby. Religious liberty will remain intact and all Americans can stay true to their faith without fear of big government intervention or punishment." — Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate.
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"I disagree with the reasoning as well as the conclusion. Just think about this for a minute. It's the first time that our court has said that a closely held corporation has the rights of a person when it comes to religious freedom." — Hillary Rodham Clinton, former secretary of state and potential 2016 Democratic presidential candidate.
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"Simply put, the moral views of a patient's boss should have no bearing on his or her ability to access needed medical treatments." — Dr. Rebecca Sokol, president of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
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"It conjures up fake religious freedom rights for corporations while being blind to the importance of birth control to America's working women." — the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
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