Nearly a dozen Republican lawmakers have joined the legal fight against the Obamacare contraception insurance mandate.

Nine senators and two House members challenged the mandate by formally backing Hobby Lobby, a national chain of arts and crafts stores.

Hobby Lobby's owners filed a lawsuit against the government, saying the mandate requires them to choose between their Christian beliefs and providing insurance for abortion-inducing drugs.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, led the group of lawmakers in filing a friend-of-the-court brief on Hobby Lobby's behalf.

"Religious freedom is an issue our country was founded on, and it's not a Democrat or Republican issue," Hatch said in a press release.

"Unfortunately, the Obama administration has time and again ignored calls to stop the implementation of a policy some organizations or businesses are morally opposed to," he added.

The company is among the few corporations not granted temporary relief from the mandate by the courts.