Action Alert Archive
Tell New Philadelphia Schools to hold firm on removal of 10 Commandments display
Last week, New Philadelphia City Schools in Ohio removed a Ten Commandment plaque from Welty Middle School after FFRF lodged a complaint against the unconstitutional religious display. Districts commonly receive negative pushback from discontented community members after they take down religious paraphernalia in compliance with the First Amendment.
Today, evangelist Franklin Graham took to social media to condemn the decision and to leverage his millions of followers across the country to bully the district into putting the plaque back up on school property.
It is important that secular Americans provide a counterweight to this criticism and commend the district for rectifying this violation. Please contact New Philadelphia Superintendent David Brand to show your support for the removal of the religious plaque.
Click here to send an e-mail to the superintendent.
TALKING POINTS
Please feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided below
I want to thank you for removing the Ten Commandments plaque from Welty Middle School and protecting the true religious freedom of all students and families in the district. This decision was the right one, and I encourage you to hold firm and keep the plaque off of school property.
More »Support vaccination expansion for minors in D.C.!
The Council of the District of Columbia is considering a good bill that would allow minors of any age to consent to vaccinations that are recommended by the United States Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
This bill, B23-0171, also establishes conditions for demonstrating informed consent including “comprehension of the need for, the nature of, and any significant risks inherent in the medical care.” This would allow minors who can demonstrate informed consent of vaccines to access their desired health care without consent from their parents.
Children are getting caught in the crosshairs of often religiously based, anti-science rhetoric surrounding immunizations and are one of the most vulnerable populations to illnesses preventable by vaccines. This bill would be a positive step in allowing young people to get vaccinated and challenge the onslaught of anti-vaxxer propaganda, which has led to devastating health outcomes in the last several months.
Please urge the D.C. Council to vote yes on B23-0171. Ways to get involved:
1. Attend the public hearing on this measure this Wednesday, June 26, at 11 a.m. at the John A. Wilson Building, Room 500 (1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.) Make sure to register in support of the bill.
2. Click on the red “Take Action!” button below and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »URGENT: Oppose Kacsmaryk confirmation ASAP
This week, the U.S. Senate will vote on the nomination of anti-LGBTQ, anti-choice extremist Matthew Kacsmaryk to a lifetime federal judgeship in the Northern District of Texas. Kacsmaryk, general counsel at the infamous First Liberty Institute, is a direct threat to the separation of state and church, Roe v. Wade and LGBTQ rights. He is categorically unfit for the federal bench.
Kacsmaryk and First Liberty are the fanatical vanguard of a concerted attempt to redefine "religious freedom" to mean that Americans may deny civil liberties to their fellow citizens on the basis of religion. The Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment was not intended to be a weapon to allow religionists to impose their religion on others, but Kacsmaryk is committed to distorting this clause for exactly this purpose.
As Americans concerned with the creeping theocracy of the Religious Right, we must oppose these shocking nominations. All U.S. senators vote on judicial confirmations. In 2017, FFRF members joined a national outcry against disgraced judicial nominee Jeff Mateer, resulting in his nomination being pulled. Whether or not your senators are strong supporters of the separation between church and state, voicing your concerns about bad judicial appointments is worthwhile.
Please contact your senators today and encourage them to vote no on Kacsmaryk’s confirmation. Click on the red “Take Action!” link below and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Please oppose Pennsylvania ‘In God We Trust’ bill
The Pennsylvania Legislature is considering a bill that would permit public schools in the state to display “In God We Trust” in “classrooms and other areas in public school buildings.” We need your help to ensure that young, impressionable students aren’t subject to religious proselytization.
HB 1602 is part of the nationwide legislative push, Project Blitz. Project Blitz seeks to inject state legislatures with a whole host of religious bills, imposing the theocratic version of a powerful few on We The People. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties — those things we cherish most about our democracy, and now must tirelessly defend.
While politicians claim that these laws are intended to showcase the national motto or inspire patriotism, it is clear that their true purpose is to peddle religiosity to a captive audience. These laws are about advancing the Big Lie that the United States was “Founded on God” or Christianity, dismantling the wall of separation between religion and government. The motto In God We Trust is inaccurate, exclusionary and aimed at brainwashing American schoolchildren into believing that our nation is a theocracy.
This bill is currently in front of the House State Government Committee, which will vote on whether or not to advance it. Please contact the members of the committee and urge them to vote no on this unnecessary and divisive measure.
More »Support the Every Child Deserves a Family Act today
The Every Child Deserves a Family Act was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last week with bipartisan support. Please ask your representative to support this bill by adding their name as a co-sponsor.
This bill, known as H.B. 3114, prohibits federally funded child welfare service providers from discriminating against children, families and individuals based on religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or martial status. It is an important step in protecting the best interests of children while the Religious Right exploits every opportunity to implement discriminatory policies disfavoring certain adoptive families due to bigoted religious beliefs.
According to the Every Child Deserves a Family Campaign, there are more than 440,000 children in our foster care system, with over 120,000 of them waiting for a permanent family. Meanwhile, as part of its nationwide legislative push known as Project Blitz, the Religious Right has attempted to inject state legislatures across the country with legislation that protects publicly funded religious adoptive services’ right to discriminate against LGBTQ families and children. The Every Child Deserves a Family Act is a critical step in ending this unconstitutional religious privilege. Click on the red “Take Action!” link below and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Take action to curb child marriage in Louisiana
The Louisiana Legislature has advanced a good bill, SB 172, that would establish a minimum age requirement of 16 for marriage and only allow minors to marry people who aren't more than four years older than them. There currently is no minimum legal age for marriage in the state.
More than 200,000 minors in the United States were married between 2000 and 2015. According to UNICEF, minors who are married are 50 percent more likely to drop out of school. Additionally, early marriage doubles a teenager’s chances of living in poverty and triples the likelihood that he or she will be a victim of domestic violence, compared to married adults. Often, these “child” marriages stem from antiquated and horrifying religious beliefs that compromise the safety of children, but many states, including Louisiana, still allow the practice in order to pacify powerful theocratic constituencies.
Although FFRF would much prefer that Louisiana outlaw child marriage altogether, SB 172 is a step in the right direction. Please urge Gov. John Bel Edwards to sign this bill into law. Click on the red “Take Action!” link below and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »
ACT NOW: Oppose six-week abortion ban!
The Louisiana House is slated to advance a near-total abortion ban bill next week, and your representative needs to hear your opposition.
SB 184, like similar anti-choice bills popping up in states across the country, bans abortion before most women even know they are pregnant, effectively outlawing the procedure altogether.
These so-called “heartbeat bills” of course clash with Supreme Court decisions that have recognized a woman’s right to choose abortion, but they also would restrict the personal decisions of all, based on the religious beliefs of the few. This is an abhorrent violation of our rights of conscience.
Please use our automated system to contact your representative and urge them to oppose this bill. Even if you know how your legislator will vote, their office will tally the calls and contacts received in opposition and support of controversial issues, and it is essential that pro-choice Louisianans make your voice heard so anti-choice reps. cannot claim a mandate. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points below.
More »URGENT: Oppose taxpayer funding of religious ministry & CPCs
The Arizona Legislature is considering legislation that would give $2.5 million to the Human Coalition, a religious ministry and Crisis Pregnancy Center.
If passed, these bills (SB 1547 in the Senate and HB 2759 in the House) would be egregious violations of secular rights. Crisis Pregnancy Centers are religious organizations that pose as medical centers to convince pregnant women against choosing abortion. Numerous studies have shown that these centers often sacrifice sound medical advice and basic ethical standards to spread their religious message. Arizona taxpayers cannot be forced to foot the bill for this deceitful religious mission.
Please use our automated system to contact your legislators and ask that they vote no on these harmful bills and do not allow taxpayer dollars to fund the Human Coalition’s religious mission. Click on the red “Take Action!” button below. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Oppose Project Blitz “religious freedom” bill
The Texas Legislature has flagrantly evaded rules and procedures to revive one of its so-called “religious freedom” bills.
The bill, SB 1978, intends to codify the right to discriminate based on religious beliefs. The bill has been rushed through both chambers of the legislature. Christian nationalists in Texas threw out all the rules in their desperate rush to protect discrimination in the name of god. Now, we need you to contact Gov. Abbott and state your opposition to this bill.
Governor Abbott, who himself has a history of discriminating against minorities and has worked to make Christians a favored, protected class, is likely to sign the bill. But that's no reason to keep silent. Let him know that there are Texans who stand against discrimination, oppression, and Christian nationalism. His office counts contacts in opposition and support of contentious legislation and we can’t allow him to claim a mandate on the issue.
More »Urge California Senate to protect victims of clergy abuse!
The California Legislature is considering a bill, SB 360, that would partially remove the confessional exemption from mandatory reporting laws, holding clergy legally accountable for reporting child abuse.
Currently, under California law, “a clergy member who acquires knowledge of or a reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect during a penitential communication” is not subject to mandatory reporting laws. SB 360 will cut out this exemption when clergy or other church employees confess to child abuse, requiring clergy to protect abused children in their care.
This bill passed out of its Senate committee and is now headed to the full Senate for a vote. Please use our system to connect with your senator and ask that they vote yes on SB 360.
More »ACT NOW: Alabama’s not done turning back the clock on civil liberties
The Alabama Legislature is fast-tracking a bill that would allow state-funded public schools to indoctrinate students as early as sixth grade with bible classes. We need your help to stop this bill in its tracks.
SB 14 is part of Project Blitz, the Christian fundamentalists’ nationwide legislative push to inject state legislatures with a whole host of religious bills. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties — those things we most cherish about our democracy and must tirelessly defend.
While politicians often claim that these laws are intended to teach the bible in the context of U.S. history, we know their true agenda is to abuse their access to young and impressionable children and indoctrinate them with religious orthodoxy. Public school bible classes have been tried across the country and have invariably ended up unconstitutionally promoting religion. Click here to learn more.
This bill has already passed the Alabama Senate and the House Committee on Education Policy and is headed to the full House for a vote. Please use our automated system to ask your representative to vote no on SB 14.
More »Please encourage Gov. Mills to sign two good bills
Amidst a wave of bad bills around the country, it is refreshing to see several good bills land on the desk of Gov. Janet Mills. The Freedom From Religion Foundation commends the Maine legislature for advancing these bills, but we need your help to ensure that Gov. Mills gives the bills the final go-ahead to become laws.
The first bill, L.D. 1025 (H.P. 755), would protect LGBTQ minors in Maine from the barbaric religious treatment deceitfully known as “conversion therapy.” Conversion therapy is a dangerous and discredited practice aimed at altering a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity, often basing the “therapy” in religious shame and guilt. Many governmental health organizations have denounced the practice as both physically and psychologically traumatizing. Individuals who endure this so-called treatment are at a higher risk for suicide and depression. Read more.
The second bill, L.D. 820 (H.P. 594), would end insurance discrimination against pregnant women in Maine. Currently, insurance providers are allowed to refuse to pay for treatment based on their religious bias, and this bill would require insurance providers to fund whatever procedure the insured decides to pursue, including abortion. The president of FFRF’s Maine chapter, Tom Waddell, testified in support of this bill earlier this year.
Though seemingly unrelated, both of these bills help to stop dangerous religiously motivated harm to Maine residents. Please use our automated system to urge Gov. Mills to sign both of these bills.
More »URGENT: Tell Alabama gov to veto abortion ban
The Alabama Senate just passed the most restrictive abortion bill since pre-Roe v. Wade. The bill, which amounts to a near total abortion ban with no exception for rape or incest, is now on the governor’s desk. We need you to speak out now.
The right to choose abortion is in more danger than ever. This bill, which would make performing abortion punishable by up to 99 years in prison, is part of the Religious Right’s plot to undermine abortion rights at the Supreme Court. Since Justice Brett Kavanaugh replaced pro-choice Justice Anthony Kennedy last year, anti-choice activists are inching closer and closer to achieving their goal of a post-Roe world.
With Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey expected to sign this bill soon, it is absolutely critical that you speak out in opposition to this harmful attack on abortion rights in Alabama. The governor’s office tallies the calls and contacts received in opposition and support of controversial issues, and it is essential that pro-choice Alabamians make your voice heard so Ivey cannot claim a mandate.
Ways to take action:
1. Please use our simple, automated system to call the governor’s office. Calling is the best way to claim attention. Click on the red “Take Action!” button below, choose the phone icon and follow the prompt. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
2. E-mail the governor’s office. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
3. Contact Gov. Ivey via social media to share your opposition to this bill publicly.
More »Join the movement to pass the Equality Act today!
Currently, 30 states have no anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ Americans. At every turn, the Religious Right is exploiting this loophole that exists in current federal civil rights legislation to achieve its vision of so-called religious liberty — the unfettered ability to discriminate under the guise of freedom of conscience.
The House of Representatives is slated to vote this week on the Equality Act, landmark legislation to close this loophole and ensure that the Religious Right can no longer weaponize religious liberty to neglect the civil rights of LGBTQ Americans.
From the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision, which considers businesses denying service to customers based on their sexual orientation, to the newly announced Department of Health and Human Services rules that allow doctors, pharmacists and and other professionals to deny care to patients because of their “sincerely held religious beliefs,” the rights of LGBTQ Americans are under attack by the Religious Right. We need your help to fight back.
Please use our simple, automated system and urge your legislators to support the Equality Act, also known as H.R. 2282 in the House and S. 1006 in the Senate. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided below.
More »Resist Wisconsin’s full-blown legislative assault on abortion
Four anti-choice bills have been introduced by the Wisconsin Legislature, intended to restrict or effectively eliminate access to abortion care in the Badger State. These four bills passed out of committee yesterday and are expected to be voted on in the Assembly next week. We are asking you to take action now.
The first, Assembly Bill 181, cuts Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood, despite the fact that federal law already prohibits spending Medicaid money to pay for abortions.
Assembly Bill 180 requires medical providers to tell women seeking a drug-induced abortion that it can be reversed mid-procedure, despite the medical evidence that this isn’t always true.
Assembly Bill 179 requires health care providers to care for a fetus that is “born alive” during an abortion or face a $10,000 fine and up to six years in prison.
Finally, Assembly Bill 182 makes it illegal to abort a fetus based on gender, race and fetal abnormalities or defects.
These bills are all solutions in search of a problem, but the Legislature’s motives are clear. This orchestrated attack on Wisconsin women is yet another callous attempt to undermine women’s reproductive autonomy and restrict their right to make personal, private medical decisions for themselves.
Nearly all of the organized opposition to abortion comes from religious beliefs about life beginning at conception. FFRF has debunked the myth that the bible prohibits abortion, although that is irrelevant. Religious beliefs about abortion, or anything else for that matter, cannot be the foundation of our secular laws.
Please contact your senator and assemblyperson now to urge them to vote no on these anti-choice proposals. Even if you know how your legislator will vote, their offices count opposition and it prohibits them from claiming a public mandate on the issue. It is vital that they hear from you on this issue. Click on the red “Take Action!” button below. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »URGENT: Tell San Jacinto commissioners to remove courthouse crosses
Tomorrow, May 8, the San Jacinto Commissioners are holding a meeting to decide whether or not to respond to FFRF’s complaint about the four large crosses displayed on the county courthouse. A concerned Coldspring resident reported to FFRF that San Jacinto County has the crosses up all year round and even lights the crosses during the holiday season. FFRF Legal Fellow Chris Line wrote to the county and urged them to remove the crosses immediately.
The Latin cross is undeniably the pre-eminent symbol of Christianity, and the county’s permanent display of such religious iconography is unconstitutional. As Chris Line wrote, “No secular purpose detracts from the overall message that the Latin cross stands for Christianity and that the display promotes Christianity.” Click here to read local coverage.
The crosses not only create the undeniable image of government preference of Christianity, but also convey the message to Americans who are not Christian, including the growing 24 percent who are not religious at all, that they are outsiders their own community.
Please contact the county commissioners and urge them to take down the crosses and not expose taxpayers to expensive and unnecessary legal liability by ignoring this request. Please feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided below.
County Commissioners’ Contact Information:
Laddie McAnally (936) 653-5045
Donny Marrs (936) 628-3267
David Brandon (281) 592-1109
Mark Nettuno (936) 377-2481
TALKING POINTS
As a local constituent, I am urging you to remove the four crosses from the front of the San Jacinto Courthouse. The crosses indisputably amount to an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion. They do not represent me or the growing number of nonreligious and non-Christian Americans.
Please do not open the county’s taxpayers up to expensive legal liability by ignoring the request to remove these crosses. Thank you for your time.
URGENT: OPPOSE bill putting MO state/church plaintiffs in danger
A Missouri House bill, HB 728, would threaten the safety and well-being of plaintiffs involved in state/church separation cases by requiring them to reveal their identity — even in instances where they are the recipients of violent threats. This bill has already passed the Missouri House and we need your help to stop it.
Oftentimes, if FFRF or a similar organization takes a case, we file a protective order to keep the complainants’ identity secret to protect them from retaliation and threats of violence within his or her community. A judge is able to balance the interest of the public right to know the identity of the plaintiff with the potential dangers to that person. HB 728 requires that “the name of the real party in interest” be used “in any action arising under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution or under Article I, Section 5 or 7 of the Constitution of Missouri,” unless the party is a minor.
This is a blatant attempt to deter citizens from holding truth to power and filing suit against the Missouri government for state/church violations. It also will, in no uncertain terms, put plaintiffs in danger. At FFRF, we have seen firsthand that it is common for those who sound the alarm on state/church violations to be subject to ridicule, ostracization, bullying and threats of violence. FFRF Staff Attorney Ryan Jayne made this clear in his testimony to the House in February, but it passed the bill anyway.
The Missouri Senate Committee on Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence will discuss this bill at its hearing on Monday, May 6, at 2 p.m. at the Capitol. If you are able to attend the hearing to show local opposition to this dangerous bill, please show up.
Please use our automated system to ask the Missouri House Judiciary Committee to oppose this bill and continue to allow judges to protect plaintiffs from violence and vitriol in cases where it is deemed necessary. Click on the red “Take Action!” link below and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Please attend Mo. House hearing on “In God We Trust” bill
The Missouri House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee will hold a public hearing tomorrow, April 30, on HB 577, the dangerous Project Blitz bill that would require public schools display “In God We Trust” in a “prominent location.” We need your help to ensure that young, impressionable students aren’t subject to religious proselytization.
HB 577 is part of the nationwide legislative push called Project Blitz, which seeks to inject state legislatures across the country with a whole host of religious bills. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties, imposing the theocratic view of a powerful few on We The People. “In God We Trust” is inaccurate, exclusionary and aimed at brainwashing American schoolchildren into believing that our nation is a theocracy.
We know you received an action alert on this last week, but Missouri schools are in trouble and we need your help today. If you can, please call. If you cannot call, please email. It is that important.
If you are able, please attend the public hearing TOMORROW Tuesday, April 30 at 9 a.m. in House Hearing Room 5 at the Capitol building in Jefferson City and speak out in opposition to HB 577. Please feel free to use or adapt the talking points below.
More »Please support inclusive textbooks in Illinois public schools
The Illinois Legislature is considering a good bill to ensure that public school textbooks are inclusive and non-discriminatory, and it needs to hear your support.
HB 246 specifies that all approved textbooks must be “non-discriminatory as to any of the characteristics under the Illinois Human Rights Act.” This bill prevents the omission of LGBTQ individuals, along with many other groups whose contributions are often neglected.
Ensuring representative and non-discriminatory material in textbooks is a critical component to safeguarding secular public education. Fortunately, this bill has already passed the Illinois House of Representatives and will soon be reviewed by the Senate Education Committee. The Illinois Senate makes it simple to register your support or opposition to bills. Click on the link provided below and fill out the form provided to voice your support for HB 246. If you would like to add talking points, feel free to use or adapt the ones provided below.
TALKING POINTS
As an Illinois constituent, I support HB 246, which ensures that protected groups are not erased from our public schools’ textbooks.
This bill is a positive step in safeguarding quality, inclusive and secular public education. I encourage the Senate Education Committee to vote in favor of HB 246.
More »Please resist 'In God We Trust' in public schools bill
The Missouri Legislature is considering a bill that would require public schools to display “In God We Trust” in a “prominent location” in public schools. We need your help to ensure that young, impressionable students aren’t subject to religious proselytization.
HB 577 is part of the nationwide legislative push Project Blitz, which seeks to inject state legislatures across the country with a whole host of religious bills. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties, imposing the theocratic vision of a powerful few on We The People.
While politicians claim that these laws are intended to showcase the national motto or inspire patriotism, it is clear that their true purpose is to peddle religiosity to a captive audience. These laws are about advancing the Big Lie that the United States was “founded on God” or Christianity, dismantling the wall between religion and government. The motto "In God We Trust" is inaccurate, exclusionary, and aimed at brainwashing American schoolchildren into believing that our nation is a theocracy.
This bill is currently in front of the Missouri House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee. Please use our simple, automated system to contact the members of the committee and ask that they reject this thinly veiled attempt to inject religion into our public schools. Feel free to use or adapt the talking point provided.
More »Oppose discriminatory adoption policy in Tennessee
The Tennessee Legislature is considering a bill that would allow taxpayer-funded child-placing agencies to discriminate based on religion — and we need your help to stop it.
TN SB 848, currently in front of the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee, would prohibit the state from taking any action against a child-placing agency that declines to facilitate adoptions conflicting with the agency’s “sincerely held religious beliefs.” If passed, the law would allow these agencies to refuse services to, among many other groups, LGBTQ families and children.
This bill is part of Project Blitz, the organized Christian nationalist campaign to inject state legislatures nationwide with a whole host of religious bills. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties — the things we cherish most about our democracy and now must tirelessly defend.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there were more than 440,000 children in foster care in the United States in 2017. Some 50,000 of these children will be adopted every year through the child welfare system, while another 20,000 will “age out” of the system before being adopted. Allowing agencies to turn away parents looking to adopt on the basis of their religion is both morally reprehensible and puts further financial burden on an already strained child-welfare system.
The health and well-being of a child should be the only factor that an agency and its employees consider when looking to place a child in a foster care or adoptive family — not advancing the bigoted agendas of those promoting discrimination at the expense of children in need.
Please use our automated system to ask members of the Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee to reject this harmful bill for good. Click the “Take Action!” link below, follow the prompt provided, and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Tell your Texas reps 10 Commandments don’t belong in public schools!
A Texas bill that would require school districts to allow Ten Commandment displays in classrooms is moving quickly through the Texas Legislature, and we need your help to stop it.
HB 307 has shockingly already passed the House Education Committee and will be soon be voted on by the entire House. If it passes, this bill would make it illegal for a school board to “prohibit the posting of a copy of the Ten Commandments in a prominent location in a classroom."
The Supreme Court has ruled that Ten Commandment displays in public schools violate the Establishment Clause, as their religious messages are undeniable. Additionally, FFRF prevailed against two Pennsylvania school districts that hosted Ten Commandment monuments. One district settled with the removal of the monument and more than $163,000 in attorneys fees. This law would open districts up to expensive and unnecessary legal liability. Please use our simple, automated system to contact your representative and ask that they vote no on HB 307.
More »Please oppose two religious privilege bills in Texas House
The first bill, HB 1035, titled the “Free to Believe Act,” is a religious exemption bill allowing individuals to discriminate specifically on the basis of two anti-LGBTQ religious beliefs: that marriage is between a man and a woman and that gender refers to “an individual's immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics at the time of birth.” It also reintroduces the transphobic “bathroom bill” language from last session.
The second bill is similar to the infamous Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which allows people, businesses, and/or corporations to violate generally applicable civil rights laws by claiming that their religious beliefs require them to violate anti-discrimination laws. This bill, HB 3172, similarily codifies religious privilege by prohibiting action against anti-LGBTQ bigotry.
These bills would apply these sweeping religious exemptions to actions by the Texas Supreme Court, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the State Bar of Texas, or a court in the state, with the exception of government employees acting within the scope of their job. The House State Affairs Committee will review these bills in a hearing THIS WEDNESDAY, April 17. Please use our automated system to contact the members of the committee and ask that they vote no on HB 1035 and HB 3172.
If you are able to attend Wednesday’s hearing in Austin, it will take place at 10:30 a.m. in Capitol Extension Room E2.014 inside the state Capitol building. Public comments are limited to two minutes.
More »Please support AG Catholic Church sexual abuse investigation in Hawaii
The Hawaii Legislature is considering SCR 8, a resolution urging the state attorney general to conduct a statewide investigation into Catholic clergy’s serial sexual abuse of minors, and they need to hear from you.
Recent investigations into the Catholic Church have revealed decades of sexual abuse in dioceses across the country. These reports have also uncovered how the Church has exploited its secretive and imposing structure to allow hundreds of offenders to escape prosecution for decades.
Even the Catholic Church itself has admitted that this is a global problem, with Pope Francis recently referring to a “culture of abuse” inside the Church. However, the pope’s failure to provide any meaningful action to correct the problem confirms what FFRF and many victims’ rights groups have asserted for decades: the methodical, organized sexual abuse in the Catholic Church will not stop until secular authorities intervene.
It is critical that Hawaii follow the lead of states like Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts and Illinois and investigate this massive and coordinated abuse of minors throughout the country. The House Committee on Human Services & Homelessness will meet THIS FRIDAY at 9 a.m. in Conference Room 329 of the Capitol building to consider SCR 8, calling for this investigation. Please attend the meeting and register in support of this resolution. Please also use our automated system to contact the members of the committee and ask that they support SCR 8, even if you cannot make the hearing.
More »Protect Tenn. Constitution from Christian nationalist amendment!
Tennessee state Rep. Micah Van Huss has introduced an amendment to the Tennessee Constitution “recognizing that our liberties do not come from government, but from Almighty God.” Yes, you read that right.
The proposal, TN HJR 17, is as blatantly unconstitutional as it sounds. Codifying the fringe belief that our liberties come from “Almighty God” is exclusionary not only to the growing percentage of Americans who identify with no religion, but any Tennessean who worships a different god than Van Huss. The attempt to add this language is an assault on the principle of separating religion and government, an American original.
The proposed insertion of Van Huss’ god is further colored by his distorted view of what rights Van Huss thinks that God has given us. Van Huss recently stated that he saw nothing evil about a 15-year-old’s rape that would result in an unwanted pregnancy, and has sponsored bills aimed at limiting the rights of same-sex couples to marry. This bill would thus insert into the Tennessee Constitution not only religion in general, but more specifically Van Huss’ particular fringe view of Christianity. This is Christian nationalism — and is unacceptable.
HJR 17 is on the calendar for TOMORROW, April 10. Please contact your Tennessee representative and ask that she or he vote down this proposed amendment.
More »Tell Gov. Kemp to veto bible class bill!
A Project Blitz bible class bill is headed to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk, and now is your last chance to voice your opposition to the legislation.
The bill, SB 83, will expand state-funded public schools’ classes on both the New Testament and the Old Testament. The bill states that the goal of these courses would be to “familiarize students” with the “literary style and structure of the Hebrew Scriptures or New Testament” and “the influence of the Hebrew Scriptures or New Testament on law, history, government, literature, art, music, customs, morals, values and cultures.” In practice, such classes are almost invariably taught by unqualified teachers who teach the bible as they were taught it at their church, promoting religion alongside any secular lessons.
The state of Georgia has no business using already limited public school resources to provide students with a religious education. It is a violation of the rights of conscience of both students and their parents, the ones who ought to be responsible for deciding the trajectory of their child’s exposure to religion.
Additionally, SB 83 is part of Project Blitz, the organized Christian nationalist campaign to inject state legislatures nationwide with a whole host of religious bills. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties — those things we most cherish about our democracy and must tirelessly defend.
This bill has already passed the House and the Senate — this is your last chance for your voice to be heard on this issue. Please use our automated system to pose your objection to Gov. Kemp and urge him to veto this bad bill.
More »Please urge Texas House to reject religious privilege bill SB 17!
The Texas Legislature is rapidly moving forward with SB 17, the Project Blitz bill that aims to codify religious privilege and allow licensed professionals to dodge their obligations and responsibilities under the guise of religious liberty.
Under SB 17, dozens of professional categories, from health care workers and counselors to lawyers and real estate agents, would be allowed to deny services based on their religious beliefs. For example, pharmacists may be able to refuse to fill a birth control prescription if doing so contradicts their religious convictions, or real estate agents may be able to refuse to sell a house to a gay couple.
SB 17 is part of Project Blitz, the Christian fundamentalists’ nationwide legislative push to inject state legislatures with a whole host of religious bills. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties — those things we most cherish about our democracy and must tirelessly defend.
This bill passed the Texas Senate last week and now will be considered by the House State Affairs Committee. Please remind the representatives on the committee that religious liberty does not constitute a license to discriminate and urge them to vote no on SB 17.
More »As bible class bill advances, please ask your reps. to vote no before it’s too late!
HB 267, the Project Blitz bill that would allow state-funded public schools to indoctrinate students with bible classes, has passed the House and is headed to the Missouri Senate Education Committee. We need your help to make sure this bill doesn’t get any closer to becoming law.
HB 267 is part of Project Blitz, the Christian fundamentalists’ nationwide legislative push to inject state legislatures with a whole host of religious bills. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties — those things we most cherish about our democracy and must tirelessly defend.
While politicians often claim that these laws are intended to teach the bible in the context of U.S. history, we know their true agenda is to abuse their access to young and impressionable children and indoctrinate them with religious orthodoxy. Public school bible classes have been tried across the country and have invariably ended up unconstitutionally promoting religion. Click here to learn more.
This bill recently passed the Missouri House, and now we need to put pressure on the members of the Senate Education Committee to stop this bill in its tracks. Please use our automated system to get connected to members of the committee and feel free to use or adapt the talking points below.
More »Tell Alabama reps. to reject bible classes in public schools!
The Alabama Legislature is considering a bill that would allow state-funded public schools to indoctrinate students as early as sixth grade with bible classes. We need your help to stop this bill in its tracks.
SB 14 is part of Project Blitz, the Christian fundamentalists’ nationwide legislative push to inject state legislatures with a whole host of religious bills. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties — those things we most cherish about our democracy and must tirelessly defend.
While politicians often claim that these laws are intended to teach the bible in the context of U.S. history, we know their true agenda is to abuse their access to young and impressionable children and indoctrinate them with religious orthodoxy. Public school bible classes have been tried across the country and have invariably ended up unconstitutionally promoting religion. Click here to learn more.
This bill has already passed the Alabama Senate and is now in front of the House Committee on Education Policy. Please use our automated system to ask members of the committee to vote no on SB 14.
More »Please oppose WA expansive religious privilege bill
The Washington Legislature is considering a bill that significantly overextends religious accommodations at colleges and universities.
The bill, SB 5166, requires that “instructors much accept at face value the sincerity of the students’ religious beliefs,” removes a limit of two days per academic year for religious holidays, and states that colleges “must make alternative accommodations for a student when a student’s sincerely held religious belief or practice materially impacts the student’s ability to perform on an examination or meet a requirement to successfully complete a program.”
While this bill is intended to require religious accommodations, it goes much too far and extends unfettered religious privilege to students. If this bill passes, a student could presumably fabricate a religious reason to avoid classes, papers, or exams, and colleges would be required by law to accept that belief “at face value” and to cater to the made-up religious objection. SB 5166 has already passed the state Senate and now it is up to the House to stop it.
Please use our automated system to contact the members of the House Rules Committee and ask that they vote “no” on this bill, which blindly grants free reign to religious students with no apparent accountability.
More »URGENT: Ask Gov. Polis to sign anti-conversion therapy bill
Colorado is close to becoming the next state to ban gay conversion therapy for minors. We need your help to make sure Gov. Jared Polis signs the bill and outlaws the unethical and ineffective practice.
The bill, HB 19-1129, would protect LGBTQ citizens from the barbaric, pseudo-scientific religious treatment deceitfully called “conversion therapy” by restricting any licensed physician or mental health care professional in the state from engaging in the practice. Additionally, the bill makes the advertising or practice of conversion therapy by a physician or mental health care provider a deceptive trade practice under the "Colorado Consumer Protection Act.”
Conversion therapy is a dangerous and discredited practice aimed at altering a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity, often basing the “therapy” in religious shame and guilt. Many governmental health organizations have denounced the practice as both physically and psychologically traumatizing. Individuals who endure this so-called treatment are at a higher risk for suicide and depression. Read more.
Please use our automated system to urge Gov. Polis to sign this bill. Click on the red “Take Action!” link below and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Urge your Texas senators not to grant religious privilege to state license holders
The Texas Legislature is considering a sweeping “religious liberty” bill regarding state licensure and we need your help to make sure it does not pass the state senate.
This bill, SB 17, aims to codify religious privilege and allow licensed professionals to dodge their obligations and responsibilities under the guise of religious liberty. For example, pharmacists may be able to refuse to fill a birth control prescription if doing so contradicts their religious convictions.
SB 17 accomplish this by prohibiting state agencies from adopting any rules or policies that limit a license holder’s ability to discriminate based on their religious beliefs. This includes health care professionals, counselors, lawyers and dozens of other professions.
Please remind your Texas state senator that religious liberty does not constitute a license to discriminate and urge them to vote no on SB 17. Please click on the red “Take Action!” button below and use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Please urge California to expand protections for victims of clergy abuse
The California Senate Public Safety Committee is considering a bill that would remove the confessional exemption from mandatory reporting laws, holding clergy legally accountable for reporting child abuse.
Currently under California law, “a clergy member who acquires knowledge of or a reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect during a penitential communication” is not subject to mandatory reporting laws. SB 360 will cut out this exception, requiring clergy to protect abused children under their care.
Please ask the members of the committee to pass this bill and remove the confessional exemption from mandatory reporting laws in California. The Senate Public Safety Committee is meeting next Tuesday, April 2, at 8:30 a.m. in the John L. Burton Hearing Room at the Capitol (Room 4203). If you are not able to attend the hearing, please use our simple, automated system to contact the members of the committee. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »URGENT: Please urge Gov. Hutchinson to veto IGWT bill
The Arkansas Legislature has fast-tracked a bill that would require Arkansas public schools to display “In God We Trust” in every library and classroom.
This bill, HB 1607, is part of the nationwide legislative push known as Project Blitz. Project Blitz seeks to inject state legislatures with a whole host of religious bills, imposing the theocratic view of a powerful few on We the People. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties — those things we cherish most about our democracy, and now must tirelessly defend.
While politicians claim that these laws are intended to showcase the national motto or inspire patriotism, it is clear that their true purpose is to peddle religiosity to a captive audience. These laws are about advancing the Big Lie that the United States was “Founded on God” or on Christianity, dismantling the wall of separation between religion and government. The motto In God We Trust is inaccurate, exclusionary and aimed at brainwashing American schoolchildren into believing that our nation is a theocracy.
This bill has flown through the state legislature and now we need you to urge Governor Asa Hutchinson to veto this bill. Please use our automated system to contact Hutchinson by clicking on the red “Take Action!” link below. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Please reject Missouri HB 837!
The Missouri Legislature is currently considering HB 837, a bill that prohibits colleges from enforcing anti-discrimination policies on religious student groups under the guise of religious liberty.
The bill, currently in front of the House Committee on Higher Education, prohibits discrimination against a religious student association as long as its leaders “adhere to the association’s sincerely held religious beliefs, comply with the association’s sincere religious practice requirements, comply with the association’s sincere religious standards of conduct, or be committed to furthering the association’s religious missions.”
In other words, this bill uses a prized tactic of the Religious Right, which is to impose a distorted view of religious liberty that trumps the civil rights of other campus community members. Under this rule, religious student groups could discriminate against LGBT individuals, or even individuals of a particular race, so long as they cite a religious reason for the discrimination.
The Missouri House of Representatives Higher Education Committee is meeting in House Hearing Room 1 next Monday, March 25 at 6 p.m., to review this bill. Please use our simple, automated system and ask the members of the committee to reject this bill. Please feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided below. If you are able, please attend the meeting and register in opposition of this bill.
More »Tell Congress to pass the Equality Act now!
50 percent of Americans live in a state with no legal anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people. In such states, LGBTQ individuals can be fired from their jobs, evicted from their homes, denied service from restaurants and stores or refused credit from banks simply because of their identity.
This discrimination is antithetical to the founding American principle of equality under the law. To close the gaps that currently exist in civil rights law, a group of legislators has reintroduced the Equality Act. The Equality Act, also known as S. 1006 in the Senate and H.R. 2282 in the House, amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to “include sex, sexual orientation and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation in places of public accommodation.”
The Trump Administration continues to undermine discrimination laws under the guise of “religious liberty” and we need your help to fight back against the Religious Right’s attempts to codify their right to discriminate. Please use our automated system to contact your U.S. representatives and senators and ask that they support the Equality Act. Click on the red “Take Action” link below and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Please urge your U.S. legislators to vote down DeVos neo-voucher bill
The Trump Administration is once again taking a swing at the wall of separation between state and church, this time by proposing a federal voucher-like program that would open the way for public funding to go to religious schools. We need your help to stop it.
A Senate bill, S. 634, has been introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that would establish a program intended to give tax credits for private school education, dubbed the Education Freedom Scholarships and Opportunity Act. (The proposed new federal budget also contains $5 billion in tax credits to fund such a program.)
Voucher and tax credit programs create a host of problems. The lack of oversight of voucher schools encourages widespread fraud and mismanagement. Taxpayers cut the checks to such schools, yet have no say in how they are run. Because private schools receiving vouchers are not subject to the safeguards required for public schools, abuses are rife, such as lack of safe playing spaces, adequate lunches and textbooks. Such schemes are a cynical way of funneling public funds to religious schools, as FFRF has repeatedly pointed out.
This is yet another example of the Trump administration weaponizing religious liberty in pursuit of profit and privilege at the expense of American taxpayers. Please contact your U.S. legislators and ask that they oppose S. 634. Click on the red “Take Action!” link below and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Take action to help end child marriage in New Hampshire
The New Hampshire Legislature is considering HB 378, a good bill that would raise the minimum age for marriage from 16 to 18, and we need your help to make sure this bill passes.
The bill outlaws marriage for anyone younger than 18 and removes the option to bypass the age restriction with consent from a parent.
More than 200,000 minors in the United States were married between 2000 and 2015. According to UNICEF, minors who are married are 50 percent more likely to drop out of school. Additionally, early marriage doubles a teenager’s chances of living in poverty and triples the likelihood he or she will be a victim of domestic violence, compared to married adults. Often, these child “marriages” stem from antiquated and horrifying religious beliefs that compromise the safety of children, but many states including New Hampshire, still allow the practice in order to pacify powerful theocratic constituencies.
The N.H. Children and Family Law Committee is holding a hearing on this bill tomorrow, Wednesday, March 13, in Room 208 at 10 a.m. Please show up and speak out in support of this bill. If you can’t make it to the meeting, please use our simple, automated system to contact the members of the committee and ask them to vote yes on HB 378.
More »Ensure that nonreligious have equal representation at Abilene City Council meetings
Recently, an Abilene, Texas, resident informed us at FFRF that each Abilene City Council meeting begins with a religious invocation delivered by one of the council members.
While FFRF believes that the best practice for government meetings is to forego the invocation and get straight to work, since a prayer may ostracize some members of the community, unfortunately the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that this practice is legal.
As an Abilene constituent, however, you have a powerful voice in your community and we need you to stand up for secularism and inclusivity at public governing events by asking your council to skip the prayer, or replace it with a moment of silence. While there is no law prohibiting the council from beginning each meeting with prayer, it is unnecessary, disrespectful and divisive to include it.
The Abilene City Council needs to hear from you about how this practice affects you and other nonreligious citizens!
Please attend the Abilene City Council’s next meeting this Thursday, March 14, at City Hall (555 Walnut Street) at 8:30 a.m. and speak out against this unnecessary prayer. The public comment period of the meetings is open for input on any item and is not restricted to the agenda.
TALKING POINTS
Please feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided below.
As a secular Abilene voter, I am concerned with the inclusion of prayer at the commencement of every City Council meeting. It is unnecessary and divisive and makes me feel politically ostracized in my own community.
There is no practical reason for the council to begin each meeting with a prayer. I am urging the council to skip the prayer at each meeting and get down to legislative business in order to reduce the appearance of religious preference and foster a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all Abilene citizens, regardless of personal religious views.
Thank you for your time.
More »Please support Minn. bill to ban conversion therapy!
The Minnesota Legislature is considering a good bill to ban conversion therapy for children and vulnerable adults. We need your help to make sure it passes.
The bill, HF 12, would protect LGBTQ Minnesotans from the barbaric religious treatment deceitfully called “conversion therapy.” Additionally, this bill prohibits the “misrepresentation of conversion therapy services or products.”
Conversion therapy is a dangerous and discredited practice aimed at altering a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity, often basing the “therapy” in religious shame and guilt. Many governmental health organizations have denounced the practice as both physically and psychologically traumatizing. Individuals who endure this so-called treatment are at a higher risk for suicide and depression. Read more.
The Minnesota House Commerce Committee is having a hearing on the bill tomorrow, Tuesday March 12, in Room 200 of the State Office Building at 2:30 p.m. Please use our simple, automated system to contact the members of the committee and ask them to support this bill. If you would like to attend the meeting, please sign in and register your support for the bill.
More »URGENT: Please resist In God We Trust in schools bill!
The Kentucky Legislature is fast-tracking a bill that would require public schools in the state to display “In God We Trust” in a “prominent location.” We need your help to ensure that young, impressionable students aren’t subject to religious proselytization.
HB 46 is part of the nationwide legislative push, Project Blitz. Project Blitz seeks to inject state legislatures with a whole host of religious bills, imposing the theocratic version of a powerful few on We The People. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties — those things we cherish most about our democracy, and now must tirelessly defend.
While politicians claim that these laws are intended to showcase the national motto or inspire patriotism, it is clear that their true purpose is to peddle religiosity to a captive audience. These laws are about advancing the Big Lie that the United States was “Founded on God” or Christianity, dismantling the wall of separation between religion and government. The motto In God We Trust is inaccurate, exclusionary and aimed at brainwashing American schoolchildren into believing that our nation is a theocracy.
This bill has, alarmingly, already passed the House, and the Kentucky state Senate will hold a hearing on the bill Monday, March 11, at noon in Annex Room 154 and HB 46 is the first bill on the agenda. If you can’t make the meeting, please use our automated system to contact the members of the committee and ask that they stop this bill in its tracks.
More »Please support repeal of religious exemptions from immunization requirements!
A new bill, LD 798, introduced in the Maine Legislature would remove religious exemptions from vaccination requirements.
Many states, including Maine, allow parents to claim a religious exemption from regulations that require they vaccinate their children. When parents choose not to vaccinate, it not only compromises the health of their own children, but also jeopardizes the “herd immunity” those who cannot receive vaccinations for health reasons rely on to stay healthy.
Please counter the influence of the anti-science Religious Right, whose dangerous rhetoric is causing very serious and preventable infectious disease outbreaks in numerous states across the country. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 206 individual cases of measles were confirmed in 11 states between Jan. 1 and the end of February. The nation saw 372 cases in all of 2018. The states that see the highest incidences of the disease are those with the most relaxed exemption laws.
Please stand up for this common sense bill that will protect Maine residents from the dangerous implications of others people’s religious dogma. Please use our simple, automated system to ask your representatives to support LD 798 and feel free to use or adapt the provided talking points.
LD 798 is currently being considered by the state’s Committee on Education And Cultural Affairs, which is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the bill on Wednesday, March 13, at 1 p.m. in Augusta. If you are able to attend this hearing to support this bill, please consider doing so.
More »URGENT: Protect safe, legal abortion access in KY!
The Kentucky Legislature is furiously at work attempting to undermine Roe v. Wade and restrict access to safe and legal abortion for women in Kentucky.
Three bills, SB 9, HB 5 and HB 148, are each religion-based attempts to limit abortion access and are currently being considered by various legislative committees.
SB 9, in the House Rules Committee, is a “fetal heartbeat” bill that would outlaw performing abortion before most people even know they are pregnant, functionally outlawing abortion altogether.
HB 5, in the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection Committee after passing in the House, would make it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion if they feel their patient is ending the pregnancy because of the fetus’ sex, race or disability. Critics rightfully point out that this is a smoke-and-mirrors attempt to restrict abortion access without actually increasing resources or social services for people who give birth to children with disabilities. Additionally, laws like this encourage patients to lie to their doctors, according to Dr. Nicole Nolan, an OB-GYN at the University of Louisville.
Finally, HB 148 is what is commonly referred to as a “trigger law” and would completely outlaw abortion in the state of Kentucky should the U.S. Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade, sending the issue back to states to legislate. Given the new majority of anti-choice male Catholics on the Supreme Court, this is a more serious threat now than ever before.
Please contact your Kentucky representatives and urge them to reject religious dogma and protect safe, legal abortion in Kentucky. Please use our simple, automated system to get connected to your state legislators and ensure that they strike down these bills, and any others that use religion-based defenses to undermine abortion access in your state.
More »Tell your WA legislators to protect children, repeal faith-based exemptions
Two bills have been introduced in the Washington House and Senate that would repeal faith-based healing protections for parents who choose not to seek medical attention for their children based on their religious beliefs. Currently, Washington has a law that protects these parents from legal charges even if their children die as a result of this negligence.
The two companion bills, HB 1376 and SB 5749, aim to remove this exemption as it relates to “criminal mistreatment of children and vulnerable adults.”
The law currently states that: “It is the intent of the legislature that a person who, in good faith, is furnished Christian Science treatment by a duly accredited Christian Science practitioner in lieu of medical care is not considered deprived of medically necessary health care or abandoned.”
If these two proposed bills are passed, this language will be removed and children will no longer be at risk of death because of the state sanctioning their parents’ dangerous religious beliefs. Please use our simple, automated system to ask the members of both the House and Senate committees reviewing these bills to support them. Click on the red “Take Action!” link below, follow the prompt, and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »URGENT: Oppose discriminatory adoption policy in Tennessee
The Tennessee Legislature is considering a bill that would allow taxpayer-funded child-placing agencies to discriminate based on religion — and we need your help to stop it.
TN HB 1152, currently in front of the Tennessee House Children & Families Subcommittee, would prohibit the state from taking any action against a child-placing agency that declines to facilitate adoptions conflicting with the agency’s “sincerely held religious beliefs.” If passed, the law would allow these agencies the right to refuse services to, among many other groups, LGBTQ families and children.
This bill is part of Project Blitz, a Christian fundamentalist nationwide push that seeks to inject state legislatures with a whole host of religious template bills, imposing the theocratic vision of a powerful few on We The People. It is an unvarnished attack on American secularism and civil liberties — those things we most cherish about our democracy, and now must tirelessly defend.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, there were more than 440,000 children in foster care in the United States in 2017. Some 50,000 of these children will be adopted every year through the child welfare system, while another 20,000 will “age out” of the system before being adopted. Allowing agencies to turn away parents looking to adopt, on the basis of their religion, is both morally reprehensible and puts further financial burden on an already strained child-welfare system.
The health and care of a child should be the only factor that an agency and its employees consider when looking to place a child in a foster care or adoptive family — not advancing the bigoted agendas of those promoting discrimination at the expense of children in need.
Please use our simple, automated system to ask the Tennessee House Children & Families Subcommittee to reject this harmful bill. Click on the red “Take Action!” link below, follow the prompt provided, and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
If you would like to attend the hearing and make your voice heard in opposition to this harmful bill, the details are below.
When: Tuesday, March 5, 9 a.m.
Where: House Hearing Room II, TN Capitol Building
**Please sign in as being in opposition to this bill**
URGENT: OPPOSE bill putting MO state/church plaintiffs in danger
A Missouri House bill would threaten the safety and well-being of plaintiffs involved in state/church separation cases by requiring them to reveal their identity — even in cases where they are the recipients of violent threats.
Oftentimes, if FFRF or a similar organization takes a case, we file a protective order to keep the complainants’ identity secret to protect them from retaliation and threats of violence within his or her community. A judge is able to balance the interest of the public right to know the identity of the plaintiff with the potential dangers to that person. HB 728 requires “the name of the real party in interest to be named in civil actions involving the separation of church and state unless the party in interest is a minor.”
This is a blatant attempt to deter citizens from holding truth to power and filing suit against the Missouri government for state/church violations. It also will, in no uncertain terms, put plaintiffs in danger. At FFRF, we have seen firsthand that it is common for those who sound the alarm on state/church violations to be subject to ridicule, ostracization, bullying and threats of violence.
The Missouri House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on this bill today, at 5 p.m., at the state Capitol. FFRF Staff Attorney Ryan Jayne will be testifying at the hearing in opposition to HB 728. If you are able to attend the hearing to show local opposition to this dangerous bill, please show up.
Please use our automated system to ask the Missouri House Judiciary Committee to oppose this bill and continue to allow judges to protect plaintiffs from violence and vitriol in cases where it is deemed necessary. Click on the red “Take Action!” link below and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Tell Missouri legislators to protect access to abortion!
A bill is being considered in the Missouri Legislature that would outlaw abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which is before most people even find out they are pregnant.
If passed into law, HB 126 would become one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, banning abortion after as early as six weeks of pregnancy.
Ominously named “heartbeat bills,” which have been introduced and voted down in several states across the country, are punitive and fueled by the religious dogma that “life begins at conception.”
The right to choose is not only a right of privacy, but of conscience. We need your help to stop HB 126 in its tracks. Please use our automated system to contact the members of the Missouri House Committee on Children and Families and ask them to vote this bill down at the bill’s hearing tomorrow morning at 8 a.m.
More »Please tell Hawaii House Judiciary Committee to ban FGM!
This week, the Hawaii Legislature is considering a bill, HB 132, that prohibits performing female genital mutilation (FGM). Offenses would be a class B felony.
In addition to the traumatic and often lifelong physical and emotional pain FGM inflicts on women, girls and women who have FGM are at risk for infections and cysts. Infants born to women who have had FGM have a higher risk of dying. The practice has no medical benefit and is based solely on barbaric religious traditions that have no place in modern American society. Many states are taking action to ban the practice, and you can help add Hawaii to that list by supporting this bipartisan bill.
Please ask the Hawaii House Judiciary Committee to vote yes on HB 132, protecting women and girls from being subjected to FGM in Hawaii.
Please use our automated system to contact the members of the committee. Click on the red “Take Action!” link below and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Ensure that nonreligious have equal representation at Killeen city council meetings
The City Council recently changed its policy at council meetings to establish a formal policy of beginning each meeting with an invocation. (The council had previously begun each meeting with an invocation, but did not have a formal policy). Under the new rule, the council has invited any Killeen resident the opportunity to give the opening invocation.
While FFRF believes that the best practice for government meetings is to forego the invocation and get straight to work, since a prayer may ostracize some members of the community, unfortunately the Supreme Court ruled that the practice is legal. So, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!
We want you to ensure that the nonreligious have equal representation at Killeen meetings. The city has reached out to every church to participate, but the nonreligious can also participate by contacting the City Secretary, Lucy Aldrich, and asking for a slot: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (meetings typically take place on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month at 5 p.m. at City Hall). You can find out more details from the city's press release, attached.
If you do give the invocation, let us know about it! Remember, FFRF runs an annual Nothing Fails Like Prayer contest where we select the "best" secular invocation and award the speaker with an all-expenses-paid trip to FFRF's annual convention, a plaque, and an honorarium of $500! (see rules of entry here).
More »Tell your representative to vote yes on comprehensive sex education bill!
A Colorado bill is being considered to combat the Religious Right’s grip on sex education and we need you to ask your representative to support it!
HB 1032, currently under consideration by the Colorado House, would, among other things, specifically “prohibit instruction from explicitly or implicitly teaching or endorsing religious ideology or sectarian tenets or doctrines.”
With the pattern of “crisis pregnancy centers” infiltrating public school sex education programs across the country and propagating religiously based, anti-health, abstinence-only myths, it is imperative that freethinkers support initiatives for comprehensive, secular sex education like this one.
Please use our automated system and ask your Colorado representative to vote YES on HB 1032! Click on the red “Take Action!” link below and follow the prompt. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »
