Action Alert Archive
Tell Missouri city officials to stand by the Constitution
Earlier this week, city officials in Ozark, Mo., pledged to honor their citizens’ constitutional rights and take down a large cross from public property after a letter from FFRF.
“While we respect the interests of those who have long enjoyed the holiday display in Finley River Park, we must acknowledge the federal Constitution and its interpretation by the Supreme Court,” the city wrote on its official Facebook page. “This letter has brought a concern to our attention and we cannot ignore the First Amendment which protects the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and prohibits the government from making laws or taking actions that may promote or prohibit one religion over another.”
Then, after an extreme backlash from the community, the city reversed its decision and committed to “working through the legalities of the situation” and left the cross in place.
The law is clear: This cross is unconstitutional and, popular or not, has no place on public property. Please contact city officials by letter (information below) or (even better!) by social media (linked below) to tell them they made the right decision the first time and they should remove the cross from public land.
We encourage you to identify if you are a Missourian, and note specifically if you are an area resident.
City Mayor's Office:
Honorable Richard Gardner
Mayor
City of Ozark
205 N. First St.
Ozark, MO 65721
City Administrator’s Office:
Honorable Stephen Childers
City Administrator
City of Ozark
205 N. First St.
Ozark, MO 65721
Tell your senators to preserve Johnson Amendment
The U.S. House passed a bill that would defund all enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, which keeps 501(c)(3)s, including churches, from endorsing political candidates. This would, in turn, allow churches to become unaccountable, unregulated super PACs through which dark political money will flow.
We need once again to put the heat on lawmakers to oppose this provision while it’s still in its early stages. The new budget will need support from at least nine Senate Democrats, who have opposed this in the past, but they need to hear from you. Please contact your U.S. senators today and ask them to protect the Johnson Amendment and fund its enforcement.
You can click on the red “Take Action!” button below to use our automated system (Phone2Action) to contact your representative. Please feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
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Tell D.C. Board not to approve plan to give taxpayer money to churches
The D.C. Council’s proposed Clean River Impervious Area Charges relief plan would give taxpayer money to churches and favors churches over secular nonprofits.
This proposed package would relieve nonprofits, churches and cemeteries from Clean River Impervious Area Charges, which they complain have become burdensome.
According to the proposal, secular nonprofits will be eligible for relief from the charges if they amount to at least 5 percent of the nonprofit’s revenue (after expenses), verified with the nonprofit’s Form 990. For churches and cemeteries (most of which are affiliated with a church) that relief threshold falls to nearly nothing: 0.75 percent. It will also not be verified by the D.C. Council or taxpayers because religious institutions are not required to file Form 990s with the IRS.
In short, the proposed plan would require nonprofits to show a financial burden nearly seven times that of churches and not going to require churches to actually prove the claimed burden is accurate. The plan openly favors religion over nonreligion.
The D.C. Water Utility Board is voting on this proposal on Dec. 6. Please contact the board’s chairman using the e-mail below and tell him not to approve this plan.
CONTACT:
Tommy Wells, Chairman
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
(202) 535-2600
TALKING POINTS:
Please feel free to use or adapt the talking points below.
As a taxpayer and voter, I am dismayed to learn of the D.C. Water Utility Board’s proposal to implement a relief plan that would benefit churches over secular nonprofits. I urge the Board to vote against this proposal this Thursday.
The proposed plan to offer relief from the Clean River Impervious Area Charges for nonprofits would financially favor churches and other religiously affiliated institutions with no accountability to taxpayers, as these groups do not file Form 990s with the IRS.
Public trust requires public transparency. Without it, the public cannot verify that nonprofits are honoring that trust and that it is not being abused or exploited. I ask that the Board not approve the current version of this plan, which gives a taxpayer handout to churches on more favorable grounds than to secular nonprofits.
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Oppose new rule requiring double billing in the service of religion
Last week, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) released a proposed rule that would require ACA marketplace plans to send consumers a specific “abortion bill” each month, representing the share of their premium going toward covering abortion services. Consumers would be required to pay this bill separately.
This seemingly innocuous proposed rule, said to “protect rights of conscience,” is another insidious attempt by the Trump-Pence administration to impose discriminatory barriers to women’s health care in the name of religious liberty.
FFRF fervently condemns the administration’s continued use of religious dogma to subjugate women and this frivolous proposed rule, and has submitted an official comment.
CMS is accepting public comments on this proposal right now. Click on the red “TAKE ACTION” link below and then click on the blue “Comment Now!” button in the upper-righthand corner. Please feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided below.
TALKING POINTS
As a taxpayer, I am dismayed by the unnecessary and burdensome proposed rule, file code CMS-9922-P. It purports to protect rights of conscience, but it is clearly a religiously motivated attempt to create additional barriers to women being able to exercise their right to choose. The rule does not protect religion, it imposes religion on consumers.
Secondly, the rule is burdensome and confusing for consumers. Forcing customers to decipher and pay two separate bills for the same premium is ludicrous. It is unimaginable that this same practice would be implemented for other routine health care procedures. Therefore, it is clear that advancing religion, specifically conservative or evangelical Christianity, is the true purpose of this rule.
I strongly disapprove of and urge the department not to move forward with this proposal. It puts undue burden on both consumers and health care providers in the name of elevating religion and has no place in public policy. Thank you.
More »Please take action to help protect state/church separation and close this tax loophole
The Internal Revenue Service is seeking public comments on a proposed rule that, among other things, puts a stop to a widespread practice of taxpayers legally profiting from donating to private religious schools. Pro-voucher activists are opposing this change by flooding the IRS with comments asking them to leave this loophole open. We need your help to fight back and convince the IRS to follow through with this common-sense proposed rule.
Here’s how this tax loophole works: First, some states provide dollar-for-dollar tax credits for donations to educational scholarship programs, which keep some of the funds for themselves and pass the rest onto private schools, most of which are religious. If you donate $100,000, the state takes $100,000 off of your state tax bill. Second, the federal government gives a deduction on federal taxes on the same donation. After donating $100,000 and having the state pay you back in full, you also get to deduct $100,000 from your federal taxes.
For more details about the proposed rule and how this loophole advances religion, you can read FFRF’s formal comment.
Please take action today and tell the IRS that taxpayers should not be financially incentivized to donate to private religious schools. You can use or adapt our sample language below, or come up with your own. Comments are due soon, so please take action today!
To submit a comment, follow this link and click on the green button that says “SUBMIT A FORMAL COMMENT.” Public comments are due TOMORROW, so please take action right away.
TALKING POINTS
I support the proposed rule change to stop the tax loophole that allows donors to educational scholarship programs to double dip on state and federal tax exemptions. Under current rules, taxpayers who donate to educational scholarship programs may deduct the donation from federal income tax in addition to a dollar-for dollar state tax credit.
Educational scholarship programs divert funds that should go to public schools into the coffers of private schools, the vast majority of which are religious, and into the pockets of scholarship program administrators. This system, like private school voucher systems, invites fraud due to a lack of accountability and devastates public schools.
There is no legitimate reason for the federal government to encourage taxpayers to donate to educational scholarship programs. The government should be focused on promoting secular public education and should never incentivize taxpayers to fund religion. Allowing taxpayers to profit from a donation to an educational scholarship program directly encourages taxpayers to support religion. It also stretches the credulity of the term “donation.” This is inappropriate and violates our country’s core principle of keeping church and state separate.
It is improper and imprudent to incentivize taxpayers to divert their funds from public schools to private religious schools, much less to profit from such a “donation.” Therefore, I urge the Internal Revenue Service to put into place this proposed regulation that closes this outrageous tax loophole.
More »Please keep the heat on your senator to vote no on Kavanaugh!
Sexual assault allegations. Missing records. Hostile and partisan judicial testimony.
It is clearer than ever that Brett Kavanaugh is categorically unfit to serve a lifetime appointment on the Supreme Court. Don’t be fooled by the hasty and incomplete FBI investigation. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others are “plowing through” this confirmation through for political gain to the detriment of the integrity of the Supreme Court.
Even if your senators have remained un-swayed on Kavanaugh, they still need to hear that you want them to vote no on his confirmation to the Supreme Court.
More »Please ask your senators to protect free speech globally!
This week, Sens. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Chris Coons, D-Del., introduced a resolution that calls for the “global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws.”
Since 2015, two other similar resolutions have been introduced but have not gained any traction, despite being a universal victory for protecting freedom of speech and freethinkers worldwide.
“Freedom of expression and religion are fundamental human rights that are the bedrock of any open society,” Coons stated upon introduction of the resolution. “As a person of faith, I am proud to introduce this resolution which aims to protect religious and secular minorities by calling for the repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws around the world.”
“The U.S. government can and should use our leverage as a world leader to help protect religious minorities in nations with whom we have or form international agreements and relationships,” Lankford added.
Please contact your senators and ask that they support this bipartisan effort to repeal archaic blasphemy laws around the world.
More »Implore your senators to delay Kavanaugh confirmation vote
Since Christine Blasey Ford made her identity known as the woman who accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of attempted sexual assault, leaders in the Senate Judiciary Committee — notably members of the Religious Right led by Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley — have dismissed the accusations and denied the need for a standard FBI investigation of the claims.
The credibility of Ford’s accusations has been reinforced by a passed polygraph test, the fact that she reported this assault to her husband and therapist in the past, and this NYT op-ed by psychiatrist Richard A. Friedman.
In addition to these extremely troubling accusations, Senate Judiciary leaders have refused to let their colleagues and the American people see over 90 percent of the documents relating to Kavanaugh’s critical years in the federal government.
This is not a partisan issue — Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court would put every Americans’ most fundamental liberties in jeopardy. Despite what this hasty confirmation process would suggest, there is no rush to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat sat open for more than a year while Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans refused to even meet with, let alone hold a hearing for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.
Please tell your senators that the lack of transparency and hurried mishandling of Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings is unacceptable and demand that they take a stand (even if they aren’t on the committee) to delay the confirmation vote until Kavanaugh’s complete record has been thoroughly vetted, including Ford’s accusations of attempted rape. There are 21 senators on the committee. If one of them is yours, you have power. Be sure to contact him or her.
Senate Judiciary Committee Members:
Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT)
John Cornyn (R-Texas)
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
Thom Tillis (R-NC)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Michael S. Lee (R-UT)
Ben Sasse (R-NE)
Mike Crapo (R-ID)
John Kennedy (R-LA)
Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Christopher A. Coons (D-DE)
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Cory Booker (D-NJ)
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Tell the Department of Education that you do not want to pay for religious education
A recently proposed rule change by the Department of Education could open the door for spending federal tax dollars on religious education. If you don’t want your taxes to be used to promote religion at private religious schools, please follow the link below and submit a formal comment to voice your concerns to the Department of Education. You can use our suggested wording below, or write your own comment.
BACKGROUND
Under current regulations that implement Title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA), the Department of Education is prohibited from using tax dollars to advance religion. This includes providing financial aid to students in order to become preachers or for inherently religious activities such as proselytizing or worship services. These restrictions are not only constitutionally permissible, they are required under the First Amendment, which prohibits the government from advancing religion.
However, students who attend religious schools in order to pursue secular degrees are eligible for financial aid. So long as the government does not directly subsidize inherently religious activities in violation of the Establishment Clause, the Department of Education has made every effort to provide financial aid to students at religious institutions.
Nevertheless, the Department of Education has decided to revisit these regulations. This is unnecessary and risks violating the Establishment Clause by forcing taxpayers to pay for religious education or religious activities. The proposed change is a direct response to a Supreme Court case last year called Trinity Lutheran, but that case had nothing to do with higher education and does not require any changes to HEA regulations. Please take a moment to urge the Department of Education to leave the regulations regarding faith-based entities the way they are.
To submit a comment, follow this link and click on the green button that says “SUBMIT A FORMAL COMMENT.” Public comments are due TOMORROW, so please take action right away. There are currently less than 20 public comments on this issue, so it’s a great time for you to have your voice heard and it only takes a minute.
TALKING POINTS
Please feel free to use or adapt the talking points below.
As a taxpayer, I am strongly opposed to the use of any Department of Education funds in order to advance religion. The Department’s recent announcement of revisiting the regulations implementing Title IV of the HEA is deeply concerning because it suggests a loosening of the important restrictions on funding that advances religion.
The Department’s current regulations ensure that religious institutions are treated fairly without forcing taxpayers to advance religion. The current restrictions are constitutionally mandated by the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The Supreme Court’s recent decision in Trinity Lutheran does not require or allow the Department of Education to fund religious education or religious activities. Please leave the Title IV rules regarding faith-based entities the way they are in order to protect the religious liberty of all Americans.
More »Contact your senators now to oppose Kavanaugh
This morning, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh begins his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Even if you’ve previously contacted your two senators to oppose Kavanaugh, please call and email again now. Kavanaugh’s confirmation would be a disaster for the separation of church and state, our secular republic and our godless Constitution.
Kavanaugh’s judicial record makes it clear that landmark cases protecting the separation of state and church, as well as reproductive and LGBT rights, are at risk:
- Kavanaugh, a religious Catholic who sends his children to Catholic schools, actively supports taxpayer vouchers for religious schools. His confirmation would ensure six Catholics remain on the 9-seat bench.
- Kavanaugh argues for religious exemptions for employers to deny birth control coverage to female employees. He’s refused to say he supports Roe v. Wade (calling it “settled law” is meaningless). As an appellate judge, he dissented in a decision upholding the right of a 17-year-old undocumented immigrant to end her pregnancy. More than 300 law professors from across the country sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee leadership warning the danger that Kavanaugh presents to Roe and urging them not to confirm him.
- Kavanaugh praised former Chief Justice Rehnquist for calling the constitutional concept of a wall between state church “wrong as a matter of law and history.” He would overturn the Lemon Test, which codifies legal precedent against government support of religion.
- Kavanaugh wrote a brief to the Supreme Court in favor of providing religious students with a government megaphone to impose prayer on other students at school events. Kavanaugh used alarming language to deride state/church advocates.
Kavanaugh’s confirmation would shift the Supreme Court to the Religious Right for more than a generation and would forever change the landscape of First Amendment law.
Even if your senators have indicated their plans to support or oppose Kavanaugh, it’s vital that you still contact them today. Your actions are never wasted – Senate offices DO feel the heat when constituents put pressure on them. Please don’t stay silent. The stakes could not be higher.
Click on the action button below to go to our fast, automated system. If you first want more details, read here.
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Tell your R.I. senator to ditch bigoted government bible study
Rhode Island State Senator Harold Metts has partnered with Capitol Ministries to run a bible study in Providence. Capitol Ministries is well known for pushing a radical religious agenda on the Trump administration through White House bible studies. Please take action today to tell your senator to keep the Rhode Island state government secular.
Capitol Ministries is a Christian nationalist organization whose founder and president, Ralph Drollinger, teaches homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic bible studies to politicians across the country. Drollinger believes women with children shouldn’t be lawmakers. He believes same-sex marriage is “voided by God.” He “doesn’t tell lawmakers how to vote,” he just gives them a blueprint, and says, “you’ve got to be pretty stupid not to follow the blueprint.”
Drollinger and his White House bible study was likely behind, and vocally supported, Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ citation of Romans 13 to justify the administration’s family separation policy. This same biblical passage has been used for centuries to justify otherwise indefensible laws, including slavery.
If you don’t want similar influence in the Rhode Island State House, please contact Senator Metts to ask him to discontinue his troubling partnership with this bigoted evangelical ministry.
CONTACT
Phone: (401) 272-0112
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
TALKING POINTS
Please feel free to copy and paste or customize the talking points provided below.You may also wish to write a letter to the editor or use social media to express your concerns.
As your constituent, I’m writing to urge you to end your disturbing partnership with Capitol Ministries and its president, Ralph Drollinger.
Capitol Ministries is a disgraceful and dangerous organization that has become well known for teaching homophobic, misogynistic, xenophobic bible studies to politicians across the country, including the White House. They are the driving force behind Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ biblical justification for family separation, to give just one example.
Rhode Island lawmaking should be a secular process. There is no need for a bible study or ministry that is dedicated to pushing a religious agenda onto lawmakers and the people of Rhode Island, especially one with such a despicable record. Lawmakers are, of course, free to study whatever religion they wish on their own time, but not on taxpayers’ time and dime.
Rhode Island is better than this. Please withdraw your support of this hateful group’s ministry in Providence, and publicly disavow Capitol Ministries and Ralph Drollinger.
More »Tell Senator Manchin to oppose Kavanaugh!
As Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings draw closer, and news this week of Michael Cohen’s guilty plea calls Kavanaugh’s legitimacy as a nominee further into question, we need your voice to be heard in opposition to his nomination.
Please help save the wall of separation between state and church, our secular government and our godless Constitution. Please contact Senator Manchin to ask him to oppose the nomination of Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The nomination of Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy threatens our secular republic. Kennedy was the nominal swing vote on the court, and while often disappointing, he held firm on abortion and LGBTQ rights, and even wrote a strong decision against religion in public schools. Confirmation of Kavanaugh would shift the Supreme Court to the Religious Right for more than a generation and would forever change the landscape of First Amendment law. Every landmark case protecting the rights of nonreligious Americans is at risk.
Your actions are never wasted. Pressure is mounting on Senator Manchin to support Kavanaugh’s confirmation and Senate offices DO pay attention when their constituents make their voices heard. Even if you recently called or wrote to Senator Manchin about this, he needs to hear from you again. Circumstances have changed. Please don’t stay silent at this critical moment.
More »Tell your lawmakers to hold child sexual abusers accountable!
Following the recent grand jury report detailing heartbreaking details of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church, pressure is mounting for state lawmakers to take action to stop this rampant, systemic abuse.
Predictably, the church and its sympathizers are pushing back and some Pennsylvania legislators are wavering. Bishops are pressuring lawmakers to maintain the status quo, rather than taking action to give victims justice and protect future Pennsylvania children from such abuse. In particular, Senator and Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Senate District 34, appears to be a potential roadblock on this issue.
Please don’t let the Catholic Church continue its cover up. On Wednesday, August 29 at 1:00 p.m. in the Town of Bellefonte, protesters will gather to demand that Senator Corman place the interest of child victims ahead of the interests of pedophile priests and church bank accounts. Please consider joining this protest to show your support and to encourage Senator Corman to do the right thing.
Please also take a moment to email and call Senator Corman to tell him that you expect him to support legislation to protect Pennsylvania children from the Catholic Church, rather than protecting sexual abusers from law enforcement.
CONTACT INFO
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Harrisburg office: (717)787-1377
TALKING POINTS
Please feel free to copy and paste or customize the talking points provided below.
As a Pennsylvania voter, I am dismayed and outraged over the findings of the grand jury report about crimes committed against children by Catholic Church officials. Regardless of political affiliation or beliefs, Pennsylvanians certainly agree that this type of reprehensible abuse, and the Catholic Church’s systematic efforts to cover it up, are unforgivable and must stop.
As majority leader, you’re in a position to help these survivors of child sexual abuse. I know you’re under pressure by church lobbyists to instead protect the church and clergy sex abusers. I urge you to do the right thing, the only moral response: Hold the church, and serial sexual predators accountable.
The whole world is watching. This is your chance to show that you will stand up to protect victims of child sexual abuse rather than shield their abusers. Please support all efforts to extend or better yet eliminate the statute of limitations on these crimes. Do everything in your power to ensure that state laws will not stand between child sex victims and justice.
More »Tell Senator Donnelly to save SCOTUS!
We need your help to save the wall of separation between state and church, our secular government and our godless Constitution. Please tell Senator Donnelly to oppose the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
With your help, we’ve defeated other zealous Trump nominees. Senator Donnelly is under pressure to vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
The nomination of Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy threatens our secular republic. Kennedy was the nominal swing vote on the court, and while often disappointing, he held firm on abortion and LGBTQ rights, and even wrote a strong decision against religion in public schools. Confirmation of Kavanaugh would shift the Supreme Court to the Religious Right for more than a generation and would forever change the landscape of First Amendment law. Every landmark case protecting the rights of nonreligious Americans is at risk.
With sustained effort by all of us, we can save the fabric of our secular republic from unraveling. Your actions are never wasted — Senate offices DO feel the heat when constituents put pressure on them, and Senator Donnelly’s office is currently receiving heavy pressure from the other side on this crucial issue. Please don’t stay silent at this pivotal moment.
More »Tell Senator Heitkamp to save SCOTUS!
We need your help to save the wall of separation between state and church, our secular government and our godless Constitution. Please tell Senator Heitkamp to oppose the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
With your help, we’ve defeated other zealous Trump nominees. Senator Heitkamp is under pressure to vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
The nomination of Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy threatens our secular republic. Kennedy was the nominal swing vote on the court, and while often disappointing, he held firm on abortion and LGBTQ rights, and even wrote a strong decision against religion in public schools. Confirmation of Kavanaugh would shift the Supreme Court to the Religious Right for more than a generation and would forever change the landscape of First Amendment law. Every landmark case protecting the rights of nonreligious Americans is at risk.
With sustained effort by all of us, we can save the fabric of our secular republic from unraveling. Your actions are never wasted — Senate offices DO feel the heat when constituents put pressure on them, and Senator Heitkamp’s office is currently receiving heavy pressure from the other side on this crucial issue. Please don’t stay silent at this pivotal moment.
More »Tell Senator McCaskill to save SCOTUS!
We need your help to save the wall of separation between state and church, our secular government and our godless Constitution. Please tell Senator McCaskill to oppose the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
With your help, we’ve defeated other zealous Trump nominees. Senator McCaskill is under pressure to vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
The nomination of Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy threatens our secular republic. Kennedy was the nominal swing vote on the court, and while often disappointing, he held firm on abortion and LGBTQ rights, and even wrote a strong decision against religion in public schools. Confirmation of Kavanaugh would shift the Supreme Court to the Religious Riight for more than a generation and would forever change the landscape of First Amendment law. Every landmark case protecting the rights of nonreligious Americans is at risk.
With sustained effort by all of us, we can save the fabric of our secular republic from unraveling. Your actions are never wasted — Senate offices DO feel the heat when constituents put pressure on them, and Senator McCaskill’s office is currently receiving heavy pressure from the other side on this crucial issue. Please don’t stay silent at this pivotal moment.
More »Tell Senator Tester to save SCOTUS!
We need your help to save the wall of separation between state and church, our secular government and our godless Constitution. Please tell Senator Tester to oppose the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
With your help, we’ve defeated other zealous Trump nominees. Senator Tester is under pressure to vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
The nomination of Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy threatens our secular republic. Kennedy was the nominal swing vote on the court, and while often disappointing, he held firm on abortion and LGBTQ rights, and even wrote a strong decision against religion in public schools. Confirmation of Kavanaugh would shift the Supreme Court to the Religious Right for more than a generation and would forever change the landscape of First Amendment law. Every landmark case protecting the rights of nonreligious Americans is at risk.
With sustained effort by all of us, we can save the fabric of our secular republic from unraveling. Your actions are never wasted — Senate offices DO feel the heat when constituents put pressure on them, and Senator Tester's office is currently receiving heavy pressure from the other side on this crucial issue. Please don’t stay silent at this pivotal moment.
More »Tell Senator Murkowski to save SCOTUS!
We need your help to save the wall of separation between state and church, our secular government and our godless Constitution. Please tell Senator Murkowski to oppose the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
With your help, we’ve defeated other zealous Trump nominees. Senator Murkowski is under pressure to vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
The nomination of Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy threatens our secular republic. Kennedy was the nominal swing vote on the court, and while often disappointing, he held firm on abortion and LGBTQ rights, and even wrote a strong decision against religion in public schools. Confirmation of Kavanaugh would shift the Supreme Court to the Religious Right for more than a generation and would forever change the landscape of First Amendment law. Every landmark case protecting the rights of nonreligious Americans is at risk.
With sustained effort by all of us, we can save the fabric of our secular republic from unraveling. Your actions are never wasted — Senate offices DO feel the heat when constituents put pressure on them, and Senator Murkowski’s office is currently receiving heavy pressure from the other side on this crucial issue. Please don’t stay silent at this pivotal moment.
More »Tell Senator Jones to save SCOTUS!
We need your help to save the wall of separation between state and church, our secular government and our godless Constitution. Please tell Senator Jones to oppose the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
With your help, we’ve defeated other zealous Trump nominees. Senator Jones is under pressure to vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
The nomination of Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy threatens our secular republic. Kennedy was the nominal swing vote on the court, and while often disappointing, he held firm on abortion and LGBTQ rights, and even wrote a strong decision against religion in public schools. Confirmation of Kavanaugh would shift the Supreme Court to the Religious Right for more than a generation and would forever change the landscape of First Amendment law. Every landmark case protecting the rights of nonreligious Americans is at risk.
With sustained effort by all of us, we can save the fabric of our secular republic from unraveling. Your actions are never wasted — Senate offices DO feel the heat when constituents put pressure on them, and Senator Jones' office is currently receiving heavy pressure from the other side on this crucial issue. Please don’t stay silent at this pivotal moment.
More »Tell Senator Collins to save SCOTUS!
We need your help to save the wall of separation between state and church, our secular government and our godless Constitution. Please tell Senator Collins to oppose the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
With your help, we’ve defeated other zealous Trump nominees. Senator Collins is under pressure to vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
In March 2017, Susan Collins spoke on the Senate floor in support of Neil Gorsuch, stating that she asked him “if it would be sufficient to overturn a long-established precedent if five justices believed that a previous decision was wrongly decided. He responded: ‘emphatically no.’” Nevertheless, Gorsuch wasted no time joining four other justices in overturning the 1977 labor law decision, Abood v. Detroit Board of Education. Kavanaugh’s assurances that he would leave pro-choice decisions in place is a lie to swindle Collins’ vote.
The Washington Post referred to this as "Susan Collins’ grand delusion.” Please encourage Senator Collins not to make the same mistake with women’s health care on the line.
With sustained effort by all of us, we can save the fabric of our secular republic from unraveling. Your actions are never wasted — Senate offices DO feel the heat when constituents put pressure on them, and Senator Collins’ office is currently receiving heavy pressure from the other side on this crucial issue. Please don’t stay silent at this pivotal moment.
More »
Insist that state lawmakers protect Pennsylvania children!
In the wake of the shocking grand jury report released this week documenting systemic, repeated abuse of thousands of Pennsylvania children and its cover-up by the Catholic Church, demand that your state legislators take decisive action!
The report recommends correcting major flaws in Pennsylvania law allowing child abusers to avoid legal repercussions for their actions, including to increase the statute of limitations for sexual abuse victims to report crimes. (Most of the more than 1,000 victims whose abuse was disclosed by the grand jury have missed their chance to sue their abusers because of these statutes of limitation.)
While you have legislators' ears, please also ask them to repeal state statutes excluding child abusers from prosecution in cases of religiously-motivated medical neglect, a long-standing problem in your state.
Your lawmakers could quickly fix both problems. Ask them to support SB 261, a bill already in front of the House, to extend statute of limitations until the victim is 50. House bill HB 612 would specifically give victims of the recently-unveiled abuses a two-year window to file suit against abusers.
Legislators can and should also repeal § 6304 to ensure that parents are legally required to provide necessary medical care to children.
Now’s your chance to make a real change to help protect Pennsylvania children. When lawmakers reconvene in September, they need to know their constituents are demanding immediate reform to protect children and repair the state’s tarnished reputaion.
CONTACT
Find out who your representatives are by clicking this link.
MESSAGE
Please feel free to cut and paste or cutomize the talking points we've provided below.
- As your constituent, I urge you to take two specific actions in response to the shocking grand jury report on the Catholic sexual abuse of thousands of Pennsylvania children and its systematic cover-up.
- First, please support SB 261 so the many victims documented in the report are given a two-year window to pursue lawsuits. I also urge you to support HB 612 and any legislation that removes the statute of limitation in general for child sexual abuse.
- Second please support the repeal of § 6304, which excludes child abusers from legal repurcussions in cases of religiously-motivated medical neglect. Religion is no excuse for child abuse. This statute endangers children and should be repealed as soon as possible.
- Thank you for your time. I hope to see decisive legislative action on both of these issues soon.
URGENT: Defend FFRF victory at school board meeting, Wed. 8/15!
The Chino Valley School Board prayed, proselytized, and read the bible at school board meetings. No more! It has lost to FFRF and 22 brave plaintiffs in federal district court and before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Yet, the board voted in a closed meeting to appeal the case . . . all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.
You have a chance to protest this decision by attending the next board meeting on Wednesday, August 15 at 7:00pm, 5130 Riverside Drive, Chino, CA 91761. According to the agenda, the board will meet in closed session at 5:25pm to briefly discuss the appeal, but citizens can still provide public comment at the 7:00pm session.
There is still time for the board to do the right thing, if you speak up! Tell the board to reverse its decision to appeal. Three of the board members belong to the local mega-church, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills: Sylvia Orozco, James Na, and Andrew Cruz. They need to hear from you NOW!
Note: Board member Andrew Cruz has argued in the press that 80 percent of the Ninth Circuit’s decisions are overturned. He’s wrong and should be told so. Of the cases the Ninth Circuit decides — and that’s the issue here — about one-tenth of one percent (0.1 percent) are overturned by the Supreme Court. The other 99.9 percent of the time, the law is clear and the Supreme Court doesn’t review, let alone overturn, the Ninth Circuit. And the law is clear here.
BACKGROUND
The school district lost more than $200,000 at the lower court and if this is fully briefed and argued at the Supreme Court, it is possible that it could cost the district upwards of $1 million. How many textbooks or computers or teachers’ salaries is that? Instead, these board members are intent on using public offices to promote their personal religion.
The school board will make much of the fact that they have pro bono representation. But don’t be taken in by this misleading talking point. FFRF debunks this fallacy time and again. Most recently, in an op-ed for Religion New Service. Taxpayers are on the line for court costs in losing cases.
Three of the board members belong to the local mega-church, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills: Sylvia Orozco, James Na, and Andrew Cruz. They need to hear from you NOW!
Please attend the meeting. Call if you are able. Email too, even if you speak in person.
Chino Valley School Board
Pamela Feix, (909) 306-8259, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
James Na, (909) 315-1344, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Irene Hernandez-Blair, (909) 731-2597, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Andrew Cruz, (909) 472-7863, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sylvia Orozco, (909) 721-1361, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
MESSAGE
Feel free to copy and paste the sample text for an email that we’ve provided.
Please do not appeal the Ninth Circuit's decision against Chino Valley School Board prayers. The board has already wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on this case. Regardless of pro bono representation, we’ll still have to pay all the costs and fees for the other side if this case is lost. Plenty of local governments have spent far more than our school district fighting these losing cases. The Dover School District in Pennsylvania spent more than $1 million on a losing fight to preach creationism in the public schools. Get back to teaching our children. Please don’t waste time and money on this appeal. We have better things to do.
More »Meeting today! Tell this praying, proselytizing school board not to appeal to the Supreme Court
The Chino Valley School Board prayed, proselytized, and read the bible at school board meetings. No more! It has lost in federal court to FFRF and 22 brave plaintiffs. Twice. The Board just scheduled a closed meeting for TODAY, AUGUST 1, at 5:00 P.M. WE NEED YOU TO CONTACT THE BOARD RIGHT NOW.
The meeting is closed so there is no need to show up in person but please email and call the board. We think they intend to vote on whether or not to appeal the case to the Supreme Court. Tell them NO APPEAL!
CONTACT
Chino Valley School Board
Pamela Feix (909) 306-8259 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
James Na (909) 315-1344 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Irene Hernandez-Blair (909) 731-2597 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Andrew Cruz (909) 472-7863 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sylvia Orozco (909) 721-1361 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
BACKGROUND
The school district lost more than $200,000 at the lower court and the total will likely tick up to $300,000 or even $400,000. How many textbooks or computers or teachers’ salaries were lost? Instead, these board members are intent on using public offices to promote their personal religion.
A fight to the Supreme Court could double or even triple that price tag. The school board will make much of the fact that they have pro bono representation. But don’t be taken in by this misleading talking point. FFRF debunks this fallacy time and again. Most recently, in an op-ed for Religion New Service. It has cost some local governments more than a million dollars.
Three of the board members belong to the local mega-church, Calvary Chapel Chino Hills: Sylvia Orozco, James Na, and Andrew Cruz. They need to hear from you NOW!
Please call if you are able. Email too.
MESSAGE
Feel free to copy and paste the sample text for an email that we’ve provided.
Please do not appeal the case brought by FFRF and 22 other plaintiffs. We’ve already wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars on this case. I understand that you have pro bono representation, but we’ll still have to pay all the costs and fees for the other side. Plenty of local governments have spent far more than our school district fighting these losing cases. The Dover School District in Pennsylvania spent more than $1 million on a losing fight to preach creationism in the public schools.
Get back to teaching our children. Please don’t waste time and energy on this appeal. We have better things to do.
More »SOS! Last chance to oppose domestic gag rule, act NOW!
This is your last chance to take action against the latest Trump-Pence administration attack on reproductive and sexual health care!
Midnight is the deadline on the 60-day public comment window for a new anti-woman gag rule. The rule would block millions of people from reproductive health care services, such as access to birth control, from providers such as Planned Parenthood. If you have not already taken action, please do so before midnight tonight.
This proposal contains restrictions that threaten access to family planning. It would also prevent any health clinic or service provider that receives Title X funding from providing any information to patients about abortion, including referrals. As we’ve said before, the Christian Right has always been the primary opposition to women’s right to abortion. If this rule goes into effect, the government would restrict doctors from providing comprehensive and factual health care information to patients, and the blow would be felt the most by uninsured individuals with low income, and disproportionately by women of color.
More »Tell your West Virginia senator to save SCOTUS
We need your help to save the wall of separation between state and church, our secular government and our godless Constitution. Please tell Senator Manchin to oppose the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The nomination of Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy threatens our secular republic. Kennedy was the nominal swing vote on the court, and while often disappointing, he held firm on abortion and LGBTQ rights. Confirmation of Kavanaugh would shift the Supreme Court to the religious right for more than a generation and would forever change the landscape of First Amendment law. Every landmark case protecting the rights of nonreligious Americans is at risk.
With your help, we’ve defeated other zealous Trump nominees. Senator Manchin is under pressure to vote to confirm Kavanaugh.
With sustained effort on all our parts we can save the fabric of our secular republic from unraveling. Your actions are never wasted — Senate offices DO feel the heat when constituents put pressure on them, and Senator Manchin’s office is currently receiving heavy pressure from the other side on this crucial issue. Please don’t stay silent at this pivotal moment.
Read our press release on Kavanaugh here for more information.
More »
Ask your representative to join the Congressional Freethought Caucus
FFRF was so pleased this spring, when several representatives announced the formation of a Congressional Freethought Caucus. It will focus on promoting secular values and will give a voice to freethinking voters, something we desperately need right now in Congress!
Current members of the new caucus include Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif.; Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.; Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich.; Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif.; Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis.; and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. Please urge your representative to join their lead.
The mission statement of the Congressional Freethought Caucus is “to promote public policy formed on the basis of reason, science, and moral values; to protect the secular character of our government by adhering to the strict Constitutional principle of the separation of church and state; to oppose discrimination against atheists, agnostics, humanists, seekers, religious and nonreligious persons, and to champion the value of freedom of thought and conscience worldwide; and to provide a forum for members of Congress to discuss their moral frameworks, ethical values, and personal religious journeys.”
Nonreligious Americans — the so-called “Nones” — make up about one-quarter of the country but are massively underrepresented in legislative chambers. (If your representative is already on the Congressional Freethought Caucus, please applaud him or her for openly bucking the political tradition of throwing atheists and other freethinking constituents under the bus.)
More »Tell Sen. Cornyn that you demand transparency from Supreme Court nominee
Please take immediate action to demand full transparency from the latest Supreme Court nominee!
We know that President Trump’s second nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, would be a disaster for the constitutional separation between state and church, but it may be even worse than we think.
Texas Sen. John Cornyn is considering abandoning the precedent of releasing documents prior to Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing, which would force the Senate to vote on Kavanaugh without reviewing what is perhaps the most extensive paper trail of any nominee to the high court in history — there could be more than a million pages.
Senators need to see these records in order to make an informed decision on the most important judicial nomination of our lifetimes. Please use our automated system to contact Cornyn and tell him that you insist on a transparent Supreme Court confirmation process.
There is a long history of allowing senators to review any documents that might shed light on a nominee’s fitness to be a judge, and this is more important for Supreme Court justices than any other position. Justice Elena Kagan was not put up for hearings until there was time to go through 170,000 pages of documents. Justice Neil Gorsuch did not get hearings until his 100,000-page records were reviewed. Hiding Kavanaugh’s extensive paper trail from senators would be unprecedented and extremely dangerous.
Cornyn’s attempts to stymie the Senate’s access to these records is especially alarming because other Trump judicial nominees have been derailed due to a paper trail that they tried to keep secret. Most recently, the White House withdrew the nomination of Ryan Bounds to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based on articles Bounds wrote as an undergraduate that ridiculed multiculturalism.
As Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, explained, “Mr. Bounds tried to hide these disparaging writings from his judicial selection committee, but they were brought to light by a third party. That’s why it’s important to see all relevant documents from a nominee’s life and career. You never know what you’ll find. #ReleaseTheRecords."
Further, Kavanaugh himself has a spotty history of transparency based on his prior confirmation hearing, where he may have misled the Senate about his role in the Bush administration’s terror-detainee policy, something Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., have not forgotten.
Senators must be allowed to see Kavanaugh’s records. Confirming a Supreme Court nominee without access to his or her record would deal a serious blow to the integrity of the U.S. Senate, which is supposed to provide well-informed “Advice and Consent” as a check on the president’s judicial nominees. If senators are denied access to Kavanaugh’s records, voting in favor of his confirmation anyway would admit that the Senate has abandoned both transparency and integrity.
More »Help us stop anti-gay adoption and foster care scheme!
The House of Representatives will soon consider a bill that would allow religious-based discrimination in adoption and foster care, and we need your help to stop it!
The provision, offered by Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., is an amendment to a much larger funding bill. It would allow child welfare service providers across the country to exclude all LGBTQ individuals as potential adoptive or foster parents, so long as they claim that the discrimination is based on a “sincerely held religious belief” or “moral conviction.” The funding bill, with the Aderhold amendment, already passed the House Appropriations Committee and will soon be considered by the entire U.S. House.
Please use our automated system to contact your federal representative and ask them to oppose any version of the funding bill that includes the Aderhold amendment.
We have seen theocratic lawmakers in multiple states push for similar provisions, but this amendment would apply to every child welfare organization in the country. We need to put pressure on lawmakers to oppose this shameful discrimination.
Potential discriminatory acts approved by the Aderholt amendment include denial of foster care or adoption opportunities to LGBTQ families, single mothers, atheists or any other group marginalized by the religious organization. This bill would allow a religious child welfare organization to use discriminatory assistance or counseling practices — to the detriment of abused LGBTQ children.
The health and care of a child should be the only factor that a child welfare agency and its employees take into consideration — not the bigoted agendas of state contractors promoting dogma at the expense of children in need.
Learn more about this anti-LGBTQ scheme here.
More »Take action to stop Trump-Pence attack on reproductive care!
The Trump-Pence administration has proposed a rule that attempts to take away American women’s fundamental rights. We need you to help us stop it!
If you remember, one of the first acts of the White House was reinstating and expanding a global gag rule, blanning overseas groups from receiving global health funding from the U.S if they mentioned any service related to abortion care. Now the administration is attempting to bring this terrible policy home to the detriment of American women’s health.
A “gag rule” proposed this May imposes new abortion restrictions on Title X — the nation’s federally funded program for affordable birth control and reproductive care, which serves 4 million people. The new rule would gut Title X funding from any organization that provides women with or refers them for abortions, prohibiting medical providers across the country from being able to advise or refer patients for safe, legal abortion care.
The proposal takes direct aim at Planned Parenthood, which serves 41 percent of patients who get care through Title X. Other health care providers have made it clear that they will not be able to make up the difference if Planned Parenthood was barred from serving those patients. Ultimately, this would leave many without access to birth control, cancer screenings, STD testing and treatment and basic women’s health exams. Furthermore, the rule would destroy the relationship between patients and doctors by allowing health care professionals to withhold accurate and timely information on an extremely time-sensitive issue.
Please tell the Department of Health and Human Services White that everyone should receive the best reproductive care and information available.
More »Tell Freeport library board that religion is divisive!
Tonight, the public library in Freeport, Ill., is voting on posting an “In God We Trust” sign in the government building. Please take a stand against this blatant — and unconstitutional — religious promotion and favoritism!
Freeport Mayor Jodi Miller recently wrote a misguided piece in the Freeport Journal-Standard arguing in favor of displaying the motto, writing that it would “unify” the town’s diversity. This is just plain ignorant. Religious endorsement on behalf of a local government is inherently divisive. Not all town residents believe in a god, and they certainly shouldn’t be told to by their local government.
Explain to officials that Freeport is a diverse town with religious minorities as well as nonbelievers and that displaying an overtly religious message ostracizes these citizens. Tell the Library Board that the real way to unify the town is to keep it free from religion.
TAKE ACTION
The Freeport Library Board of Trustees needs to hear from you! Please, if you can, attend the board meeting tonight at 6 p.m. in the Library Boardroom at 100 E. Douglas St., Freeport.
If you are unable to attend, please take a moment to send an email to the library at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call it at 815-233-3000. You can also email the board president at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Here is the contact information for the full Library Board.
TALKING POINTS
Please feel free to use the talking points below in your message to the board.
As a secular Freeport resident, I urge the library to vote against posting an overtly religious “In God We Trust” sign in the public building. I do not believe in a god, nor do many other local residents, and we shouldn’t be told to by our government. This religious endorsement on behalf of the government is divisive and ostracizes religious minorities and nonreligious citizens. Please do the right thing to unite the town by keeping government buildings secular. Thank you.
More »Save the wall of separation at the Supreme Court: Stop Kavanaugh!
We are in the civil liberties fight of the century. The wall of separation between state and church, our secular government, our godless Constitution — everything that FFRF battles for is in jeopardy. We need your help — we need your voice.
The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy threatens our secular republic. Kennedy was the nominal swing vote on the court, and while often disappointing, he held firm on abortion and LGBT rights. Confirmation of Kavanaugh would tilt the Supreme Court to the religious right for more than a generation. Losing the Supreme Court to another Gorsuch, Thomas or Alito would forever change the landscape of First Amendment law. Every landmark case protecting the rights of nonreligious Americans is at risk, dating back to the landmark McCollum decision in 1948 barring religious indoctrination in public schools.
With your help, we’ve defeated other zealous Trump nominees. The outcry of concerned citizens has stopped Supreme Court nominees in the past. Thanks to citizens like you, Robert Bork was defeated in 1987 and, instead, Anthony Kennedy was confirmed. Senators need to hear — loudly and clearly — you, their constituent, will not only vote against them in the future if they vote to confirm Kavanaugh, but will actively work against them.
Kavanaugh has already proven to be a threat to the wall of separation between state and church.
In a brief to the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh played Chicken Little over a school prayer case in 2000, insisting that by refusing to give students in a public school a megaphone to pray at school events, the Court would create an “Orwellian world… the full extermination of private religious speech from the public schools would be well on its way.” In that case, Santa Fe v. Doe, the Court did strike down the megaphone prayers — thanks to Justice Kennedy’s vote — and Kavanaugh’s prediction that the sky was falling turned out to be pure bluster.
Judge Kavanaugh: Forcing a 17-year-old girl to continue her pregnancy for weeks is not an "undue burden." 874 F.3d 735 (2017).
Also Judge Kavanaugh: Filling out a 5-blank—name, corp. name, date, address, sign—form is a “substantial burden” on religion. 808 F.3d 1 (2015)
We can do this. But it will take sustained effort on all our parts. Please call your senators. Email your senators. Tweet your senators. Facebook your senators. They need to constantly hear from you. DO NOT LET UP. Never think that your actions are wasted — Senate offices DO feel the heat when constituents put pressure on them.
Read our press release on Kavanaugh here.
The Religious Right invested tens of millions of dollars into getting Gorsuch on the Supreme Court. We don’t have that kind of money. But we do have you.
Forward this email to your friends. Put it on your social media. Fight this extremist nominee. Please take action now.
More »Take action to save Egyptian man arrested for atheism!
Please take action today to help free a young Egyptian atheist, blogger and freethought activist!
This May, longtime activist Sherif Gaber was arrested at a Cairo airport while trying to leave Egypt and has not been seen since. Gaber is an ex-Muslim who has been harassed and imprisoned in the past for blasphemy, defense of the LGBT community and promoting science and atheism. This is the third arrest Gaber has endured, and although a post from his Twitter account claims he has been freed there is skepticism about who tweeted the claim.
Gaber is one of 28 civil society activists who have been accused of "wanting to undermine the Constitution, laws and national unity, as well as spreading false news in Egypt and abroad with the intention of harming national and economic interests." Nothing harms the interests of a nation more than persecuting people for exercising their freedom of conscience and expression of intellectual opinion.
Please tell the Egyptian government that criticising religion, God and the state are part and parcel of the right to free expression and conscience, and that atheism, apostasy and blasphemy are not crimes. Ask the U.S. State Department and Egyptian Embassy that and others detained for the exercise of their free expression be immediately and unconditionally released.
CONTACT
Contact the U.S. State Department.
Please also share information about this terrible human rights violation on social media by using any of the following hashtags:
#FreeSherifGaber
#AtheismNotACrime
#BlasphemyNotACrime
#ApostasyNotACrime
You can tweet to the U.S. Department of State at @StateDept and the Egyptian Embassy at @EgyptEmbassyUSA.
TALKING POINTS
Sample email to the U.S. State Department:
As a citizen of the United States, I am calling on the State Department to formally object to the imprisonment of Egyptian citizen Sherif Gaber for criticising religion. Please urge the Egyptian government to release Gaber from prison. This is a horrifying human rights violation and the United States must take action to save Gaber, whose crime was standing up for the ideals of democracy, free speech and secularism.
Sample email to the Egyptian Embassy:
I am writing to urge you to communicate to the Egyptian government the horror felt in the United States over the imprisonment of Egyptian citizen Sherif Gaber for voicing his opinions. Please take immediate action and pressure the Egyptian government to overturn the inhuman imprisonment of Gaber for his reasonable ideas. Any action possible must be taken to release Gaber.
More »Tell your senators: Save our Supreme Court!
It has never been more important, nor is it too soon, to urge the U.S. Senate to stand firm in protecting the Supreme Court and our nation’s civil liberties.
Yesterday, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced his retirement. Kennedy — nominated by President Reagan and confirmed in 1988 — has been a pivotal moderate swing vote on the court, enabling rulings that legalized same-sex marriage and preserved Roe v. Wade. Now it falls upon the Senate to decide on President Trump’s soon-expected nomination for a new justice to the court. We are in grave danger of the Religious Right locking in a theocratic, hard-right majority that could last most of our lifetimes. Already over the past few years, we’ve watched our government slowly shift from the secular democracy our nation was founded on toward a Christian theocracy. We must to do all that we can to resist this.
Tell your U.S. senators to refuse to hold confirmation hearings until after the new members of Congress elected in November are sworn in and to fight vigorously to oppose any Supreme Court nominee who is not committed to upholding the First Amendment and the separation of church and state and upholding Roe v. Wade, marriage equality and other civil liberties. It is not too early to take action on this. Given the gravity of this appointment, the next Supreme Court justice must be committed to defending this all-American principle, so essential for a true civil society.
More »Urge Brown County Board to drop prayer
Tell Brown County to put the kibosh on religious ritual!
The county supervisors are reportedly considering whether to replace the prayer that opens every board meeting with a “moment of reflection.” Please take action today to help keep Brown County secular by contacting county supervisors and encouraging them to make this change.
In 2012, FFRF complained about the overtly Christian prayers that open every County Board meetings, explaining that the prayers impermisibly advance Christianity and alienate non-Christians and nonbelievers. After six years, the board is finally on the brink of listening to FFRF’s advice.
FFRF has also been victorious in ending prayer in neighboring governments – the County Board in Eau Claire, Wis., voted 23-4, to stop invocations prior to their meetings on May 3, 2011, and the City Council of Ashland, Wis., followed suit on Jan. 10.
TAKE ACTION
Brown County needs to hear from you! Please send a message to the Brown County Board and let them know that you support the proposal to replace the prayer with a moment of reflection.
TALKING POINTS
Please feel free to use the talking points below in your message to the board.
As a Brown County resident, I urge you to adopt the proposal to replace the prayer that opens every board meeting with a moment of reflection.
The current prayers are not only religious, but also specifically Christian. They send a message to non-Christians in Brown County that they are political outsiders in their own community. Board members and audience members have plenty of time to pray on their own before board meetings. There is no legitimate secular reason to open board meetings with a formal Christian prayer.
I was very pleased to see that the board is considering replacing the prayer with a moment of reflection. This would offend no one and would put a stop to the exclusionary message the board has been sending through its prayers. Please support this proposal.
More »Take action today to protect the Johnson Amendment!
The U.S. House is once again considering a budget bill that would allow churches to become unaccountable, unregulated super PACs through which millions, possibly billions, of dollars in dark political money will flow.
The bill would defund all enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, which keeps all 501(c)(3)s, including churches, from endorsing political candidates. But here's the catch: the budget only defunds enforcement against churches; other nonprofits still have to obey the law.
Thanks to your help, this language was removed from the last budget bill by the Senate. Ralph Reed, the chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, has estimated that this attempt to effectively repeal the Johnson Amendment for churches has a “60 percent” chance of getting into the final bill. But with your help putting pressure on lawmakers to oppose this provision while it’s still in early stages, we think we can stop it.
This bill is currently in the House Committee on Appropriations. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., has introduced an amendment to the bill that would remove section 112, the language that endangers the Johnson Amendment.
If your U.S. representative serves on the House Appropriations Committee, ask him or her to protect the Johnson Amendment and fund its enforcement. Please contact him or her TODAY — by phone and email if at all possible — and ask your representative to oppose defunding enforcement of the Johnson Amendment. Ask your member of Congress to only support the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill if Rep. Wasserman Schultz’s amendment is accepted.
Let our simple automated system contact your U.S. representative for you with a built-in script. The wording in the automated comment section is editable. We encourage you to add your own thoughts to personalize the message text, subject heading or signature.
Explain that tax exemption is a privilege, not a right. The government has correctly attached some strings to this privilege because we want charitable donations to go to charitable work, not political campaigns.
Let them know that unlike other 501(c)(3)s, churches do not have to report any financial information to the IRS. Every other charity in this country has to file a Form 990 with the IRS that tracks every penny that comes in and goes out. Churches don’t report any of this information. They are financial black holes.
BACKGROUND
The Religious Right’s push to undo the Johnson Amendment goes against public opinion. According to an evangelical polling group, Lifeway Research, whose slogan is “Biblical Solutions for Life,” nearly 80 percent of Americans say it’s inappropriate for pastors to endorse a candidate in church and 75 percent do not believe it is appropriate for churches to publicly endorse candidates. This is a nonpartisan issue, with only one in four Democrats and one in three Republicans supporting the idea of churches endorsing political candidates.
The National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO), an organization made up of state non-profit regulators, including state attorneys general, state secretaries of state and other agencies that are charged with regulating nonprofit regulation, sent a letter to congressional leaders opposing efforts to repeal or weaken the Johnson Amendment.
Earlier this year, our friends at Americans United delivered more than 4,000 letters from faith leaders from around the country to Congress all argued that the rule should remain in place. In April, a letter signed by nearly 5,500 nonprofit organizations, including FFRF, urged Congress to protect the Johnson Amendment.
More »Tell congressman Boy Scouts still discriminate
We, as a secular nation, must not tolerate ongoing discrimination by the Boy Scouts of America. And our leaders shouldn't either.
Recently, Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Pa., sent out an email praising the Boy Scouts of America (soon to be “Scouts BSA”) for welcoming girls into the organization. But the Boy Scouts of America have not dismantled all of its barriers. It still has a rule barring atheists and nonreligious members.
Please tell Cartwright that by stigmatizing the nearly one-quarter of Americans who are not religious, the Boy Scouts are weakening and dividing the community. Any bigotry is ugly and socially unacceptable.
The Boy Scouts may have started to shed its Religious Right image when it repealed its prohibition against gay boys, announced it would accept transgender boys, and inviting girls to join. But one thing is clear: Nonreligious boys (and now girls) and their families are still not welcome in the Boy Scouts. This attitude is not only ugly and discriminatory, but verges on head-in-the-sand regressive.
Ask Cartwright to demand an end to this un-American and hypocritical exclusion of atheists and other nonreligious children!
CONTACT
Please bombard Cartwright’s Facebook page, where he has requested stories about the Boy Scouts or other organizations to be posted, with comments demanding an end to the scouts divisive policy. Feel free to utilize the talking points we have included at the bottom of this email Action Alert.
You might also take further action by utilizing social media to contact Boy Scouts USA on its Facebook page and by tweeting to the Chief Scout Executive at @BSAchief, or to the Boy Scouts of America’s official Twitter account at @boyscouts.
If you have a Twitter account you might tweet a message such as:
@boyscouts After lifting LGBTQ bans and now accepting girls, it's time for BSA to repeal its bigoted policy to exclude the nonreligious.
BACKGROUND
The official position of the Boy Scouts of America — “No member can grow into the best kind of citizen without recognizing his obligation to God” — turns secular boys into pariahs and second-class citizens, and defames nonbelief.
Furthermore, Boy Scouts has a congressional charter as a fraternal (not a religious group), and the president serves as the honorary commander in chief, all additional reasons why its religiously discriminatory policy must go.
While many local troops undoubtedly look the other way, Boy Scouts officially pushes a Declaration of Religious Principles. Leaders have even turned away crying 6-year-olds from recruitment events held in public schools after advertising that “Any boy may join.”
The Girl Scouts scrapped its requirements long ago that girls, to join, must believe in a God. While the group did not drop religion from its oath, it announced an official position that girls need not be religious or recite that part of the oath in order to join. The Boy Scouts of America has nothing to lose in adopting a similar policy. Boy Scouts should be teaching harmony, not bigotry.
FFRF proudly offers nonreligious Boy Scouts a badge, by the way.
TAlKING POINTS
- In the last year, the Boy Scouts of America has lifted its hurtful bans against gays, the transgendered community and now are allowing girls to join the organization. Please call on the Boy Scouts to lift its policy shunning kids from nonreligious families.
- The Boy Scouts must stop stigmatizing the nearly one-quarter of Americans who are not religious. This divides and weakens the community the organization seeks to serve. Any bigotry is ugly and socially unacceptable. Furthermore, with 38 percent of Millennials identifying as nonreligious, its policy against atheists and other freethinkers is regressive as well as unjust.
- The policy should be rewritten to say: No one can grow into the best kind of citizen who discriminates (period).
Stop anti-woman domestic gag rule!
Please take action to stop the latest Trump-Pence administration attack on reproductive and sexual health care!
Last week, the administration proposed a new gag rule that would block millions of people from reproductive health care services, such as access to birth control, from providers such as Planned Parenthood. This proposal contains restrictions that threaten access to family planning, but it would prevent any health clinic or service provider that receives Title X funding from providing any information to patients about abortion, including referrals. As we’ve said before, the Christian Right has always been the primary opposition to women’s right to abortion. If this rule goes into effect, the government would restrict doctors from providing comprehensive and factual health care information to patients, and the blow would be felt the most by uninsured individuals with low income, and disproportionately by women of color.
Tell Congress to oppose this dangerous anti-woman, anti-health gag rule.
BACKGROUND
More than 4 million people receive health care annually through Title X, the sole federal domestic program that exclusively funds reproductive health care and family planning. Planned Parenthood serves over 40 percent of Title X patients. By imposing restrictions that would make it impossible for these patients to receive birth control and other basic health care from providers like Planned Parenthood, this new gag rule would cut off access to cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment and general health exams from individuals’ preferred health care providers.
Furthermore, the proposed rule would undermine the patient-provider relationship. Individuals would no longer be able to trust that they are receiving the most comprehensive and accurate information about their own health and lives. Rather, the government would determine what kind of information women could receive about their pregnancy options. Americans across all demographics, socioeconomic statuses, sexualities, locations and insurance coverages deserve the right to information about their health care and bodies. This includes information regarding safe, legal abortion.
More »Take action to stop N.C. tax dollars from funding religion
Please tell North Carolina lawmakers not to give a religious ministry a quarter million in taxpayer dollars!
Earlier this week, North Carolina legislators released their proposed budget for the next year, which they will vote on this week. Please reach out to your lawmakers and ask them to remove an unconstitutional $250,000 allocation to a religious ministry, Cross Trail Outfitters.
On pages 72–73 of the budget, Section 11A.14.(e1) states that $250,000 of taxpayer dollars will be given to Cross Trail Outfitters “for purposes of promoting wellness and physical activity for youth seven to 20 years of age.” The problem is, Cross Trail Outfitters is a Christian ministry that seeks to “guid[e] the next generation to Christ through the outdoors.”
This large, discretionary award to a religious ministry is unconstitutional. Please contact your state legislators and ask them to insist that the award to Cross Trail Outfitters be removed from the annual budget. Use this link to find and contact your state lawmakers.
TALKING POINTS
Feel free to use and customize the message below, or copy and paste it into an email to your legislators.
As one of your constituents and a North Carolina taxpayer, I am writing to ask that you take any appropriate steps to remove an unconstitutional appropriation in the proposed budget. On pages 72–73 of the budget, Section 11A.14.(e1) states that $250,000 of taxpayer dollars will be given to a Christian ministry, Cross Trail Outfitters.
This quarter of a million dollars of taxpayer funds would go directly toward Cross Trail Outfitters’ proselytizing mission, which is to “guid[e] the next generation to Christ through the outdoors.” This is not a permissible use of taxpayer funds. Please ensure that Section 11A.14.(e1) is removed from the proposed budget so that taxpayers like me will not be forced to finance a religious ministry. Thank you.
More »Take action today to protect the Johnson Amendment!
The U.S. House is once again considering a budget bill that will allow churches to become unaccountable, unregulated super PACs through which millions, possibly billions, of dollars in dark political money will flow. The bill would defund all enforcement of the Johnson Amendment, which keeps all 501(c)(3)s, including churches, from endorsing political candidates. But here's the catch: the budget only defunds enforcement against churches; other nonprofits still have to obey the law.
Thanks to your help, this language was removed from the last budget bill by the Senate. We need to once again put pressure on lawmakers to oppose this provision while it’s still in early stages. A House subcommittee passed this bill, by voice vote, onto the House Committee on Appropriations.
We need you to tell your U.S. representative to protect the Johnson Amendment and fund its enforcement. Please contact him or her TODAY — by phone and email if at all possible — and ask your representative to oppose de-funding enforcement of the Johnson Amendment. ASK THEM TO REMOVE SECTION 112 FROM THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT APPROPRIATIONS BILL.
Let our simple automated system contact your U.S. representative for you with a built-in script. The wording in the automated comment section is editable. We encourage you to add your own thoughts to personalize the message text, subject heading or signature.
Explain that tax exemption is a privilege, not a right. The government has correctly attached some strings to this privilege because we want charitable donations to go to charitable work, not political campaigns.
Let them know that unlike other 501(c)(3)s, churches do not have to report any financial information to the IRS. Every other charity in this country has to file a Form 990 with the IRS that tracks every penny that comes in and goes out. Churches don’t report any of this information. They are financial black holes.
BACKGROUND
The Religious Right’s push to undo the Johnson Amendment goes against public opinion. According to an evangelical polling group, Lifeway Research, whose slogan is “Biblical Solutions for Life,” nearly 80 percent of Americans say it’s inappropriate for pastors to endorse a candidate in church and 75 percent do not believe it is appropriate for churches to publicly endorse candidates. This is a nonpartisan issue, with only 1 in 4 Democrats and 1 in 3 Republicans supporting the idea of churches endorsing political candidates.
The National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO), an organization made up of state non-profit regulators, including state attorneys general, state secretaries of state, and other agencies that are charged with regulating nonprofit regulation, sent a letter to congressional leaders opposing efforts to repeal or weaken the Johnson Amendment.
Earlier this year, our friends at Americans United delivered more than 4,000 letters from faith leaders from around the country to Congress—all argued that the rule should remain in place. In April, a letter signed by nearly 5,500 nonprofit organizations, including FFRF, urged Congress to protect the Johnson Amendment.
More »Support bill to protect true religious freedom!
We need your help in a national effort to restore true religious freedom. Please take action today to support a common sense bill that was just introduced.
Contact congressional legislators today and urge them to back the Do No Harm Act to reform a law that has sacrificed real religious freedom to protect the religiously privileged.
The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, known as RFRA, is a super-statute that effectively amends every other federal law, including laws meant to protect citizens from unfair treatment. The Do No Harm Act would limit which laws RFRA applies to. For instance, RFRA would no longer allow believers to be exempt from the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Violence Against Women Act, laws that require employers to provide wages and other compensation, or laws that require coverage for any health care item. The Do No Harm Act, if enacted, could undo the damage caused by the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision in 2014. That decision allows employers and for-profit corporations to deny women workers contraceptive coverage on the basis of religious offense.
Religious freedom is already protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Do No Harm Act will bring us one step closer to restoring true equality, by preventing discrimination in the name of religious belief. Senators Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., introduced the act this week in the Senate. If any of those legislators are yours, please thank them for standing up for true religious freedom.
Protect the First Amendment in North Carolina schools
Tell North Carolina legislators to oppose a change in the state’s education policy that would put “In God We Trust” in public school buildings.
Last month, a bill was introduced that would require every school board in the state to adopt a policy to place the phrase “In God We Trust” in at least “one prominent location of each school, such as an entry way, cafeteria, or other common area.” Even though the phrase is, disgracefully, the national motto, there is no question of the legislation’s religious intent.
The bill, HB 965, is currently before the House Education K-12 Committee. Please contact the committee using our automated system and tell it to keep religion out of North Carolina’s public schools.
Tell Arizona Department of Education to undo its anti-evolution action
Take action to protect fact-based science education in Arizona!
The Arizona Department of Education has altered the state’s proposed science standards to de-emphasize evolution, apparently catering to creationists whose religious beliefs conflict with modern science. The department is accepting comments on this change for a brief time. Please take a moment to let them know that state science standards should not bend to accommodate anti-scientific religious beliefs.
To submit comments on these changes, follow the link below and click on the red “DRAFT Science Standards Survey” button.
http://www.azed.gov/standards-practices/k-12standards/k12engagement/az_sci_ss_standards-review/
TALKING POINTS
The Department of Education’s changes to the draft science standards disappointingly appear to weaken the standards’ emphasis on evolution as the bedrock of biological science. The theory of evolution is as central to modern biology as the germ theory is to modern medicine. Arizona public school science classes should help the state’s youth overcome ignorant anti-science beliefs, not cater to them.
The changes that the Department of Education made to pages 4, 42, 43 and 69 of the draft science standards regarding the teaching of evolution apparently seek to either avoid the word “evolution” altogether, or to suggest that it is not a scientific fact — which it is. Education in public schools should reflect truth and not cater to religious ideologies. Please reverse these changes.
More »Help oppose another harmful South Carolina proposal
Last week, we asked you to take action to oppose a discriminatory provision that was quietly slipped into South Carolina’s huge “must-pass” appropriations bill, H4950. We would like to thank every single one of you that took action on that issue.
Another troubling bill has also made its way into the same appropriations bill. Please take a moment to reach out to the members of the conference committee and urge them to remove this provision as well.
Section 11.21 of the appropriations bill would give universities guidelines for defining anti-Semitism, but it goes much too far. FFRF opposes anti-Semitism and recognizes that it is on the rise today. However, this bill would would lead to unconstitutional censorship that both privileges religion and tramples free speech. Importantly, the bill will also dilute legitimate efforts to combat anti-Semitism. Please use our automated system to ask the conference committee members to remove the problematic provision.
Take action against discriminatory South Carolina bill!
This is our last chance to stop a South Carolina bill that would allow religious discrimination in adoption and foster care, and we need your help.
South Carolina theocrats have rolled a discriminatory provision into H4950, a long appropriations bill that is on the brink of passing.
As it is currently written, H4950 would allow faith-based organizations that place children into adoption or foster care to receive state funds while discriminating based on their religious beliefs. Please use our automated system to contact the members of the conference committee, the last legislators who can remove this language from H4950.
Potential discriminatory acts approved by section 38.29 of H4950 include denial of foster care or adoption opportunities to LGBTQ families, single mothers, atheists, or any other group marginalized by the religious organization. This bill would allow a religious child welfare organization to use discriminatory assistance or counseling practices — to the detriment of abused LGBTQ children.
The health and care of a child should be the only factor that a child welfare agency and its employees take into consideration — not advancing the bigoted agendas of state contractors promoting dogma at the expense of children in need.
More »Stop Congress from creating a new voucher program!
Please take action to stop federal tax dollars from being pumped into a new voucher program.
Members of Congress recently introduced the Military Education Savings Accounts Act (HR 5199 / S. 2517), which would create a private school voucher program for students with an active-duty parent in the military. We expect to see efforts to attach this bill to must-pass legislation that funds the military (the National Defense Authorization Act). We need you to take action to urge your Members of Congress to oppose adding vouchers to the defense authorization bill.
You may have received an action alert on this issue from us last month, and we really appreciate those of you who took action. But now is the best chance we have to stop this bill. Please take action to urge the House Committee on Rules to oppose adding vouchers to the defense authorization bill.
More »Urge Louisiana reps to vote against unconstitutional bill
Please take action to keep prayer out of Louisiana public schools!
The Louisiana Legislature is considering a wildly unconstitutional bill, SB 512, that purports to allow public school teachers to pray with students if they first collect signed permission slips. Astoundingly, the Louisiana Senate passed this bill unanimously and a divided House committee also gave it a thumbs-up.
Please contact your state representative and ask them to spare Louisiana taxpayers the expense of defending this theocratic bill. You can find your official by going to this link and entering your address.
Learn more.
TALKING POINTS
Please feel free to cut and paste the talking points we've provided below.
As a concerned Louisianan, I urge you to oppose SB 512.
This bill is hopelessly unconstitutional and would trample the right of public school students to a secular government-run education. It would allow public school teachers in the Christian majority to use their government position to promote their personal religion, and to require non-Christian students and their parents to out themselves as religious outsiders.
The Supreme Court has never condoned such a blatant endorsement of religion in public schools, and this bill will be no exception. Passing SB 512 would only throw Louisiana taxpayer money into an unwinnable lawsuit when the law is challenged. There is no freedom of religion unless our government, including our public schools, remain free from religion. Please stand up for the religious liberty rights of public school students and vote against SB 512.
Support California lawmakers’ efforts to stop conversion therapy
Please take action to support a bill that proposes to end anti-gay conversion therapy in California!
The state Assembly has passed AB 2943, a bill that would protect LGBTQ individuals from this barbaric religious “treatment,” but the bill is receiving fierce opposition and needs your help to get through the California Senate. Please use our automated system to contact members of the Senate Judiciary and Appropriations committee to urge them to support this common-sense bill.
Conversion therapy is a despicable religion-based practice that exploits guilt and anxiety to shame LGBTQ individuals into denying their sexual orientation. It is psychologically harmful and ineffective. The Freedom From Religion Foundation supports legislative efforts to combat conversion therapy, including AB 2943.
More »Protect the First Amendment in Minnesota schools
Tell Minnesota legislators to scratch language in the state Senate’s education policy bill that would put “In God We Trust” in every public school building.
Last month, a bill that would require every school board in the state to place the phrase “In God We Trust” in all public schools was introduced. It was sponsored by state Sen. Dan Hall, a preacher and a former Christian school principal. Hall reportedly said that the bill would “encourage the people of faith” and openly acknowledged that the bill fails to keep church and state separate.
While the bill never received a vote, it has now rolled into the education policy bill, SF 3086, which is now before the House Education Finance Committee.
Even though the phrase is, disgracefully, the national motto, there is no question of the legislation’s religious intent. Please take action today to oppose this attempt to insert religion into Minnesota public schools by telling the committee to remove language in SF 3086 to put “In God We Trust” in Minnesota public school buildings.
CONTACT
Please call or email members of the Education Finance Committee. Use this link to find their contact information.
MESSAGE
Please feel free to cut and paste the message we've provided below.
I am writing as a concerned Minnesotan to strongly oppose the language in the Senate’s education policy bill (SF 3086) to put “In God We Trust” in state public school buildings. The phrase was adopted as our national motto in the 1950s, it carries a clear religious message that has no place in our secular public schools.
The sponsor of SF 3061, which has now been rolled into the education policy bill, said that the intent of the legislation is to promote faith, and admitted that it would mix church and state, which is both inappropriate and unconstitutional. This clear intent to insert religion into Minnesota’s public schools is anathema to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and marginalizes the 21 percent of young Americans who are either atheist or agnostic, according to a recent study. These students do not trust in any gods and no message to do otherwise should be expressed to them by their government.
Please remove language in SF 3086 to put the religious phrase “In God We Trust” in Minnesota state schools.
More »Take action TODAY against anti-women legislation
Please take action today to tell Gov. Kim Reynolds to veto a theocratic bill to outlaw abortion care in your state at six weeks of pregnancy.
In what appears to be a twisted competition among conservative states to see which one can strip women of their autonomy most completely, Iowa lawmakers have struck the hardest blow yet. The Legislature passed the nation’s strictest abortion law earlier this week, outlawing abortions six weeks into a woman’s pregnancy. Many women do not know they are pregnant that early in a pregnancy. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, only 9 percent of abortions performed in Iowa in 2016 occurred before six weeks of pregnancy.
As we’ve said before, the Christian Right has always been the primary opposition to women’s right to abortion. The American Family Association, a conservative Christian group based in Mississippi, released a statement praising the bill for reflecting its ideological belief that life begins at conception, and that a woman’s body is not her own past that point. If this bill is signed by the governor, it is intended as a test case to take to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.
As Erin Davison-Rippley, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, said, “This bill is dangerous, it is unconstitutional and it is just unconscionable.”
More »Thank Rep. Huffman for role in the Freethought Caucus
Please take a moment to thank Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., for taking part in the historical formation of the a Congressional Freethought Caucus that will focus on promoting secular values and will give a voice to freethinking voters.
The new caucus was fittingly announced by Rep. Huffman, the only openly nontheistic member of Congress, while accepting the Secular Coalition of America’s Visibility Award last Wednesday. Other members of the Congressional Freethought Caucus include Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Mich., Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Calif., Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md and Rep. Pramila Jaypal, D-Wash.
The mission statement of the Congressional Freethought Caucus is “to promote public policy formed on the basis of reason, science, and moral values; to protect the secular character of our government by adhering to the strict Constitutional principle of the separation of church and state; to oppose discrimination against atheists, agnostics, humanists, seekers, religious and nonreligious persons, and to champion the value of freedom of thought and conscience worldwide; and to provide a forum for members of Congress to discuss their moral frameworks, ethical values, and personal religious journeys.” Learn more.
Please thank Rep. Huffman for standing up for freethought, logic, and reason and honoring the constitutional separation of church and state — a cornerstone of our democracy.
More »
