[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 42 (Thursday, March 13, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H2371]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        FREEDOM OF RELIGION MEANS FREEDOM TO PRACTICE YOUR FAITH

  (Mr. LANKFORD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. Speaker, when a family runs a business by the 
principles of their faith--which used to be protected in America--can a 
President step in and say: I disagree with your faith, so I will pass a 
regulation that says you can no longer practice your faith at work--you 
can at home, but not at work?
  Hobby Lobby is a family-owned business that doesn't want Washington 
to be their boss. They believe that abortion takes the life of a child 
and that every child deserves a chance at life. What is wrong with 
that?
  If a Federal employee disagrees with the faith practice of someone in 
a company, does that business have to change to the faith of the 
Federal employee, or can they keep their own faith?
  It is now the rule that to open a company, work in a job, or get 
health care, you have to have the same religious convictions as the 
President of the United States. If you don't, you will be fined until 
you change your faith practice.
  Just days ago, the President spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast 
about the cornerstone right of the free expression of religion. Does 
that include Americans who believe that children are a gift of God and 
they should be nurtured and cared for, not discarded as tissue?
  Washington is not the boss of every American. Our Constitution 
matters; freedom of religion matters; and, quite frankly, children 
matter.

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