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Urge N.C. City Council to stand up against unconstitutional government prayer
Please help FFRF keep religion out of government in a North Carolina city! Ask Mayor Ed Hooks and members of the Mebane city council to abide by his decision in December to stop opening meetings with governmental prayer.
The Freedom From Religion complained on behalf of a resident in November that the Mebane City Council always began with a prayer, invariably Christian in nature. As we wrote to Mayor Hooks and the rest of the council members, "Precedent from the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over North Carolina, prohibits government-led prayer of the sort practiced at the Council’s meetings."
The mayor initially responded by changing the prayer into a moment of silence. But now other members of the Board have moved to create a new city policy that would return this divisive and inappropriate practice. Please help FFRF keep pressure on the council to do the right thing!
Use our automated system to contact the mayor and council by pressing "TAKE ACTION" below. It just takes a minute. Feel free to customize the response. If you live in Mebane, please identify yourself as a Mebane constituent.
Talking Points
As a North Carolina citizen who respects the separation of church and state, I am dismayed to read that the Mebane Council has decided to reverse the decision to change a moment of prayer into a moment of silence.
In order to demonstrate the Board’s respect for the diverse range of religious and nonreligious citizens living in Mebane, we urge you to concentrate on civil matters and leave religion to the private conscience of each individual. The Board can pray on its own time and dime, but should not inject religious ritual and prayer into a governmental meeting. Thank you.
More »Thank Sen. Kaine for finally dropping the National Prayer Breakfast!
Sen. Tim Kaine has decided to not attend the National Prayer Breakfast next year, and FFRF is asking its Virginia members to thank him for dropping such an inappropriate event.
The National Prayer Breakfast is put on by the Fellowship Foundation, a shadowy organization also known as “The Family,” and is largely funded by the notorious anti-gay hate preacher Franklin Graham. In recent years the event has featured pay-to-play influence-peddling, including by convicted Russian operative Maria Butina, and it was at the event that conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell entered Trump’s inner circle. The Family has had a pattern of troubling relationships with dictators around the world and actively exports anti-LGBTQ legislation and policy.
Kaine served as the event’s co-chair in 2016 and is the most prominent member of Congress to walk away from the event to date. Others who have dropped the event include Reps. Charlie Crist, Fla., Ro Khanna, Calif., Ann Kirkpatrick, Ariz., and Ted Lieu, Calif.
Government officials who attend the event in their official capacity send a message that their office endorses the religious message, in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. This alienates the 30 percent of Americans who are non-Christians, the one in four citizens who are not religious, and the 44 percent of millennials and younger Americans who are non-Christian.
FFRF recently sent letters to President Biden and members of Congress, urging them to skip this event. Please take a moment to thank Sen. Tim Kaine for doing just that by pressing the "TAKE ACTION" button below.
Talking Points
As your secular constituent, I want to thank you for choosing not to attend the National Prayer Breakfast. The event’s reputation as a bipartisan, solemn occurrence is a sham, and the shadowy organization behind it uses that ill-earned reputation to cozy up with dictators and to advance an anti-LGBTQ agenda.
Thank you for dropping this event. I hope your colleagues follow your lead.
More »TAKE ACTION- Tell the Labor Dept. that religious discrimination had no place in the U.S.
A proposed federal rule by the Biden administration would undo a Trump-era policy that currently allows religious organizations to discriminate while using taxpayer funds under a government contract. The window for comments on this positive change is closing on Thursday, and you can count on religious zealots to show up in force to oppose the new rule. Please take a moment to tell the Department of Labor that it is doing the right thing.
The proposed rule, titled “Proposal to Rescind Implementing Legal Requirements Regarding the Equal Opportunity Clause’s Religious Exemption,” reverses the Trump administration’s harmful lurch toward discrimination. (This still falls short, unfortunately, of adequately ensuring that taxpayer dollars will not be used to fund discrimination because it reverts to an imperfect rule put in place by President George W. Bush in 2002.)
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has submitted a comment praising the new rule but noting its imperfection since the federal government should never sanction discrimination. The proposed rule moves in the right direction, even if it does not fully arrive there. FFRF strongly supports this rescission of the 2020 rule.
Click the “take action” button and say that no one should be allowed to discriminate based on religion.
STEPS TO COMMENT:
Click on the red “Take action” link below, which goes to the official comment page.
Fill out the corresponding comment form. We have provided suggested talking points below. Feel free to copy and paste the suggested message, or review FFRF’s comment for more ideas. Personalized comments are most influential. Make sure your comments mention the rule’s “RIN #,” which is 1250-AA09.
All comments are due by Thursday (Dec. 9)! Please take action today.
Suggested talking points:
I strongly support this proposed rule, entitled “Proposal to Rescind Implementing Legal Requirements Regarding the Equal Opportunity Clause’s Religious Exemption,” with RIN # 1250-AA09. As a taxpayer, I do not want religious organizations using my federal tax dollars to discriminate. If they want to compete for government contracts, they should have to play by the same rules as everyone else and agree not to discriminate.
Ideally, government contractors should not be allowed to discriminate for any reason whatsoever. There is no need to extend the religious exemption from Title VII to government contractors. Still, this proposed rule is a solid move in the right direction.
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Take Action! Contact your legislators to keep Wis. a pro-choice state!
Please ask your state senator and assemblyperson to co-sponsor and support the Abortion Rights Protection Act or SB 75 and AB 106.
Although Gov. Tony Evers vetoed five anti-abortion bills last week, a 172-year-old law criminalizing abortion and making it a felony for physicians to perform the procedure is still on the books in Wisconsin. It would go into effect if the U.S. Supreme Court turns abortion matters back to the states to decide — which is looking increasingly likely after last week’s hearing over a Mississippi abortion ban. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, this law would go into effect, subjecting physicians who provide abortion with felony charges and up to six years in prison. The Abortion Rights Protection Act would repeal this 1849 statute.
This is why we need to call on our Wisconsin legislators and demand that they pass the Abortion Rights Preservation Act.
FFRF encourages social media engagement and letters to the editor. Please press the "Take Action" button below to get involved.
Read FFRF’s full statement here.
Talking Points
As your constituent, I urge you to co-sponsor and support the passage of the Abortion Rights Protection Act. This act will ensure that no matter what happens with Roe v. Wade, safe and legal abortion care will be available in our state.
Amid stunning developments coming from the U.S. Supreme Court, advocacy for reproductive rights is more important than ever. The Abortion Rights Preservation Act will finally repeal the archaic, 170-year-old law that makes abortion a felony and calls for the imprisonment of physicians who perform such care. It will thus ensure that the right to abortion is protected in Wisconsin. With more than 70 percent of Americans opposing the overturn of Roe v. Wade, any bill aiming to restrict Roe is inconsistent with American values.
Urge Mass. legislative committee to oppose 5 disturbing bills
On Nov. 23, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Judiciary will hold a virtual hearing to consider a large range of bills, many of which are anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ.
There are five very worrisome bills: H 1534, H 1536, H 1628, H 1760 and H 3961. They range from allowing anti-LGBTQ discrimination to banning all abortions (unless a physician deems them to be “necessary”) to adjudicating the maturity of a young person seeking an abortion based on a host of factors, such as whether or not she “exercises self-control over her behavior, emotions, and anger.”
These bills are extraordinarily imposing and have clear religious motivations. Massachusetts lawmakers do not have the right to control the bodies of their constituents based on their personal beliefs and should not allow discrimination in the name of religion.
The committee has called for public testimony on these issues. Please take a moment to email the committee and urge the members to oppose these bills by pressing "Take Action". You can use our suggested talking points below, or you can share your own story and thoughts. For best effect, be concise and polite.
This hearing is online, and you can also speak to the committee during the hearing if you register to testify. You can do so at this link by 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 22. The hearing starts at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 23.
Talking Points
As a resident of Massachusetts, I strongly urge you to oppose all bills before you that threaten abortion access or allow for LGBTQ discrimination, including H 1534, H 1536, H 1628, H 1760 and H 3961. These callous attacks on abortion rights will endanger the lives and safety of women in Massachusetts, and it is critical to me as a voter that you stop these in their tracks. With more than 70 percent of Americans opposing the overturn of Roe v. Wade, any bills aiming to restrict Roe are inconsistent with American values.
Especially with the U.S. Supreme Court hearing a case that may severely threaten access to safe reproductive health care, the state Legislature must take steps to expand access to that care, not restrict it.
I am also strongly opposed to allowing anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the name of religion. The law should never allow religious freedom to be used as an excuse for discrimination. Thank you for your time and for opposing these bad bills.
More »Tell Gov. Ducey it’s wrong and dangerous to discourage masking in schools
Back in August, we asked you to contact LINK Gov. Doug Ducey and tell him to stop his anti-science voucher program. He is now taking it an egregious step further by using federal Covid relief funds to only help schools without a mask mandate — in open defiance of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. This reckless decision will encourage schools to get rid of mandates already in place, further encouraging rather than discouraging the spread of the virus.
Ducey’s program will give private school vouchers to parents who object to public school masking or quarantine policies. Just last week, Ducey’s office sent a letter to the U.S. Treasury Department indicating it will continue to defy the department’s demand that he stop raiding the fund for this illegitimate purpose.
Please take a few moments to contact Gov. Ducey and urge him to stop these policies and programs by clicking the "Take Action" button below.
TALKING POINTS
As an Arizonan, I am deeply troubled that our state is not listening to science and is instead proposing policies that will make the pandemic worse by pumping federal Covid relief funds into a program designed to discourage schools from taking life-saving measures to combat a global pandemic. Please rescind your announced misuse of COVID-19 relief funds.
Arizona’s voucher program has had a terrible history of fraud and abuse. Siphoning public school Covid relief funds to religious private schools and opportunistic bureaucrats without any measurable benefit to students who receive vouchers, while refusing the funds to schools that are protecting students, is inexcusable. The program should, once again, be ended — not expanded.
More »Ask your rep. to condemn HB 480
Ohio lawmakers just introduced a new anti-abortion bill, modeled after Texas’ notorious SB8. The bill, House Bill 480, would effectively ban all abortions and exploit a legal loophole by allowing private anti-abortion citizens to turn in people they think have provided, obtained or helped someone get an abortion.
Now that the Supreme Court has heard arguments for and against Texas’ SB8, and will soon hear oral arguments on a similar law out of Mississippi, we are asking you to immediately contact your legislator and urge them to condemn House Bill 480.
We previously wrote asking that you urge lawmakers to oppose Senate bills that would restrict access to abortion. Now, HB 480 has been introduced and presents a new threat to reproductive healthcare in Ohio.
This law would affect the most vulnerable people in Ohio and needs to be stopped. Ohio lawmakers have already stripped abortion access in your state and this will lead to the end of abortion access altogether. Please urge your legislator to stand up for rights that are protected under the Constitution.
TALKING POINTS
As an Ohio voter, I urge you to oppose HB 480, an extremist bill that was just introduced as a copy of Texas’ notorious S.B. 8. The consequences of this bill range from unnecessarily burdensome and restrictive to potentially deadly, and flagrantly infringe on a well-established constitutional right. Please oppose these extremist measures. Thank you for your time.
More »Urge Ohio lawmakers to squash dangerous anti-abortion bills
Anti-choice politicians have introduced legislation intended to severely restrict abortion care in your state. Please take a few moments to oppose these extremist bills and tell Ohio lawmakers to stop their attacks on reproductive rights.
SB 123 and SB 157 contain several restrictions on abortion providers and abortion procedures that impede on care. Similar to the current Texas abortion ban that has resulted in thousands of women without comprehensive reproductive care, these bills would seek to criminalize those who provide abortions. These bills codify into law beliefs not based on science, but religion. SB 123 seeks to ban all abortions, even in cases of rape and incest — a so-called “trigger” ban that goes into effect the moment the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
Talking Points
As an Ohio voter, I urge you to oppose the anti-choice bills, SB 123 and SB 157. These are being discussed by the Senate Health Committee on Wednesday, Oct. 27. The consequences of these bills range from unnecessarily burdensome and restrictive to potentially deadly. Please oppose these extremist measures. Thank you for your time.
Click on the red “Take Action” link below to contact all members of this committee and urge them to oppose these bills. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Take Action! Contact your legislators to keep Wis. a pro-choice state!
Please ask your assemblyperson and state senator to co-sponsor and support the Abortion Rights Protection Act or SB 75 and AB 106. This act would repeal an 1849 statute that criminalizes abortion in Wisconsin. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, this law would go into effect, subjecting physicians who provide abortion with felony charges and up to six years in prison.
Given the precarious future of abortion, we must finally overturn this archaic, anti-woman, anti-science law now. The Abortion Rights Protection Act would repeal this 170-year-old law and help to preserve the future of abortion rights in Wisconsin.
Unfortunately, extremist Wisconsin lawmakers have been pushing to advance seven new restrictions on reproductive health. This is amid the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to block the ban that the state of Texas has effectively placed on abortion. So they need to hear from you!
Talking Points
As your constituent, I urge you to co-sponsor and support the passage of the Abortion Rights Protection Act. This act will ensure that no matter what happens with Roe v. Wade, safe and legal abortion care will be available in our state.
The Abortion Rights Preservation Act will finally repeal the archaic, 170-year-old law that makes abortion a felony and calls for the imprisonment of physicians who perform such care. It will thus ensure that the right to abortion is protected in Wisconsin. With more than 70 percent of Americans opposing the overturn of Roe v. Wade, any bill aiming to restrict Roe is inconsistent with American values.
More »Tell Lt. Gov. Robinson this is NOT a ‘Christian nation’
Over the weekend, your lieutenant governor gave an intemperate rant, in which he called for America to become a Christian theocracy, and told those who disagree to leave the country. North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson even offered to pay for you and other non-Christians to leave the country: “As for this not being a Christian nation, yes, it is! If you don’t like it, I’ll buy your plane, train or automobile ticket right up out of here. . . . This will always be a Christian nation. It was established by Him.”
Robinson also blamed school shootings on the decline of religion, advocated for forcing religion into our public schools, and threw in some transphobic bigotry for good measure.
FFRF has sent Robinson a letter enlightening him about our secular Constitution and calling for his resignation. We now urge you, as a secular and non-Christian North Carolinian, to contact Robinson today and demand his apology and resignation.
Robinson is manifestly unfit to serve as a government official. Please take a moment to use our automated system to call and email Robinson and tell him what you think about his Christian nationalist statements. You can use our suggested talking points, or, for best results, edit the talking points or write your own personal message.
For more details on Robinson’s remarks and FFRF’s rebuttal, read our letter here.
TALKING POINTS
Lt. Gov. Robinson, as a nonreligious, non-Christian North Carolinian, I am deeply shocked and offended by your call for me to leave the country simply because I am not a Christian and do not want to live in a Christian theocracy. The United States is not a Christian nation, we are a secular country where citizens may choose any religion or none at all. Your rant was ignorant, unpatriotic and un-American.
Government officials who lack even the most basic understanding of our secular constitution are unfit to serve. You should resign.
More »Urge your U.S. Rep to vote in support of reproductive rights bill
Please take a moment to ask your representative to vote yes on the Women’s Health Protection Act. It would protect the right to abortion throughout the United States, rendering unenforceable medically unnecessary and burdensome restrictions against abortion passed by state legislatures.
After the Supreme Court shockingly refused to block the Texas law banning abortions after six weeks even in cases of rape and incest, this act is more important than ever. While court reform is clearly crucial to protecting constitutional rights, the immediate remedy is for Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act. Now that the House Committee on Rules has agreed to put it to a floor vote this Friday, Sept. 24, it is more important than ever to get this passed.
Please urge your member of Congress to vote yes on the Women’s Health Protection Act so we can curb many of the abuses that will inevitably follow the Texas law. The lives of millions of women depend on our secular action, since religion has always been at the heart of the push for anti-choice legislation.
Read FFRF’s WHPA testimony letter here.
Talking Points
Please vote in favor of the Women’s Health Protection Act (HR 3755). The shocking enactment of an unconstitutional abortion ban in Texas, with the Supreme Court refusing to intervene, is a wake-up call that immediate action is required to protect access to safe and legal abortions. Abortion rights are already endangered in many states, and the Texas law will inspire even more bans.
The Women’s Health Protection Act would guarantee a statutory right to safe, legal reproductive care, and would void medically unnecessary and burdensome measures. I ask you to vote yes on the bill’s floor vote, and to speak up for its immediate passage. Millions of women — and their rights and safety — depend on your action.
More »Urge your senator to pass the Do No Harm Act!
Back in March, FFRF asked you to urge Congress to support the Do No Harm Act. This act is meant to curb the abuse that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) has let fester. It is being reintroduced today, Sept. 15, by Sen. Cory Booker and co-sponsors.
Please take a moment to contact your two U.S. senators and urge them to co-sponsor the Do No Harm Act.
Meant to protect minority religious beliefs from the domination of the religious majority, RFRA has been a free-for-all that has let people discriminate on behalf of religion. A well-known example of this was when, in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, the U.S. Supreme Court effectively allowed employers and for-profit corporations to deny women workers contraceptive coverage based on religious offense.
The Do No Harm Act will help protect people’s fundamental legal, civil liberties and make certain religious liberty cannot be wielded as a weapon to discriminate.
Read FFRF’s full statement here. Read FFRF’s full statement here.
Please click on the red “Take Action!” link below and follow the prompt provided to contact your senators. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
Talking Points
As your constituent, I am urging you to support the Do No Harm Act, to amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA.) This will stop dangerous religious exemptions from laws guaranteeing fundamental civil and legal rights. RFRA is filled with abuses of religious liberty, which at its core is intended to protect those with minority religious beliefs from the tyranny of the majority. Please support the Do No Harm Act. Thank you for your time.
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Take action now to keep religious funding out of the N.C. budget
We need your help in thwarting religious giveaways in the Tar Heel State budget.
North Carolina lawmakers are finalizing a two-year budget that Gov. Roy Cooper will review. Past budgets have included unconstitutional religious handouts. Please take a moment to contact Cooper and urge him to ensure the final budget will not include any religious funding.
Two months late on a two year-budget, Republican representatives still have not sent anything to Cooper for approval. Once this happens, the budget could swiftly be put into place. The budget has gone through myriad amendments and revisions but proposed versions have included grants to religious entities such as $1 million to the Brunswick Christian Recovery Center, and $1.5 million reportedly to First Contact Ministries, for faith-based recovery programs.
This religious funding is nothing new. In 2018, FFRF partnered with the Center For Inquiry to challenge items in the North Carolina budget that disbursed $250,000 to Cross Trail Outfitters, a Christian ministry that proselytizes through outdoor activities. The Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits states from granting discretionary funds for religious purposes, but once the money has been awarded, it is difficult to retrieve.
Before the budget is passed and it becomes unlikely that we could stop an unconstitutional appropriation of the budget, use our automated system to urge Gov. Cooper to make certain the final budget does not include any funding of religion, including faith-based programs or funds to build or repair houses of worship. The time to stop this impending constitutional violation is now.
TALKING POINTS
As a secular North Carolinian taxpayer, I urge you to protect my constitutional right not to have my tax dollars fund religious missions.
Please ensure that the state’s final two-year budget does not contain any unconstitutional religious funding, including any grants to faith-based recovery programs, funding to build or repair houses of worship and other such purposes. Granting money to any organization for religious purposes goes against the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution and takes funding away from important state programs.
More »Take action to keep anti-abortion education out of Massachusetts schools!
Stand up to religious zealots who are trying to sabotage women’s rights. Please spare a few moments to contact Massachusetts legislators and urge them to vote no on an anti-abortion measure pending in the Statehouse.
On Monday, Sept. 13, the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Education will decide whether to allow anti-choice educators to insert their religious ideology into the curriculum. H 662 contains a new proposal, for grades seven–nine in all public schools, that would include visual images and ultrasound images of fetal development. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, comprehensive sex education should focus on healthy reproductive development, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy, and sexual expression — not fertility education.
In an attempt to include anti-abortion teachings in sex education, the bill refers to fetuses as “unborn children.” It is sponsored by state Reps. David DeCoste and Joe McKenna, who have tried to defund Planned Parenthood, regulate abortion and oppose expanding reproductive health. H 662 would allow any curriculum on this topic that does not directly contradict information from the National Institutes of Health, inviting teachers to mislead students about the reality of reproductive health care.
Effectively, this bill aims to insert the religious belief that life begins at conception into public school classrooms. Please take a moment to use our automated system to contact the members of the Joint Committee on Education and ask them to oppose this bill.
Talking Points
As a secular voter, I urge you to block the passage of H 662, a bill that aims to insert the religious belief that life begins at conception into public school classrooms. Comprehensive sex education does not require the state to allow teachers to miseducate students about fertility education, and this bill will do more harm than good.
More »Contact your members of Congress today to save abortion rights
Today, as abortion has effectively become illegal in the state of Texas, we are asking you to immediately contact your U.S. representative and your U.S. senators to urge their support of the Women’s Health Protection Act. This act would protect the right to abortion throughout the United States, rending unenforceable medically unnecessary and burdensome restrictions against abortion passed by state legislatures.
The Texas ban is the most radical anti-abortion law in the nation, a law crafted by religious extremists, making 90 percent of Texas abortions illegal. It also inaugurates “bounty hunting,” incentivizing private citizens to earn $10,000 for successfully suing abortion providers.
The U.S. Supreme Court shockingly refused yesterday to block the law. While court reform is clearly crucial to protecting constitutional rights, the immediate remedy is for Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act.
Please call or email Congress and ask your representatives to sponsor and work for passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act that will curb many of the abuses in the Texas law. The lives of millions of women depend on our secular action.
Read FFRF’s full statement on the Texas abortion ban here.
TALKING POINTS
As your constituent, I urge you to sponsor and work for passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755 / S. 1975). The shocking enactment of an unconstitutional abortion ban in Texas, with the Supreme Court refusing to intervene, is a wake-up call that immediate action is required to protect abortion rights. Abortion rights are already endangered in many states, and the Texas law will inspire even more bans.
The Women’s Health Protection Act would guarantee a statutory right to safe, legal reproductive care, and would void medically unnecessary and burdensome measures like the Texas ban. I ask you to co-sponsor WHPA, if you are not already, and to speak up for its immediate passage. Millions of women and their rights and safety depend on your action.
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Take Action! Mandate vaccinations for Madison school staff
Please make your pro-science views heard before the Madison School Board meeting to discuss mandating Covid-19 vaccinations for school staff, which is slated for Monday, Aug. 30 at 6 PM.
The Madison school district handed down a decision against mandating vaccines without discussing it with the board. Many members are in favor of mandatory vaccinations, as are 85.5% of teachers.
Public schools open next Thursday, Sept. 2, and half of the students are under 12 — too young to be vaccinated yet. Don't let the religiously motivated anti-vaxxers and anti-science crowd intimidate public officials and endanger student and public welfare. Dane County used to be #1 in full vaccination rates, but we've lost that lead due to the lack of science-based leadership by local government officials.
Please take a moment to use our automated system to contact the school board by pressing the "Take Action" button below. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. You may also attend the meeting remotely by visiting this website.
Talking points
It is critical to me as a member of the community that the Madison School district takes a reasonable approach this school year by requiring vaccinations for Madison school staff. This decision will help keep not only young vulnerable children safe but also the members of our community.
Urge UW System to enforce compulsory vaccination
Please speak out for scientifically influenced public policy — ask the University of Wisconsin System to implement mandatory vaccination.
As the Freedom From Religion Foundation has reported, a religiously motivated state senator is trying to prevent the UW System from adopting Covid-19 mitigation efforts. UW System President Tommy Thompson is fighting back to protect academic freedom and public health. Please send him a quick thank you and urge him to enact vaccination mandates, as many public and private universities are responsibly doing.
This is a state/church issue since the anti-vaxxers and anti-maskers are almost entirely religiously motivated. The number of fully vaccinated Wisconsin residents is under the national average, and we’re in the midst of a major surge.
Click on the red “Take Action” link to use our automated system to contact Tommy Thompson and ask him to mandate vaccines for students and UW staff. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. For best results, be polite and concise. If you are a UW alum or have children or grandchildren enrolled in the UW, please be sure to add that to the proposed message.
Talking Points
[I am a UW graduate.] Thank you for standing up against Sen. Steve Nass and for academic freedom. Now please stand up for science. Protect student, staff and community health around the state by mandating vaccines for students and UW staff. Your firm guidance on this will help curtail the current spread of Covid-19 and shorten the pandemic in our state. Thank you.
More »Ask Gov. Ducey to nix anti-science school voucher expansion
Please take a few moments to contact Gov. Ducey and urge him to stop these policies and programs by clicking the "Take Action" button
Tell Gov. Doug Ducey that it is wrong to use pandemic funds for an anti-mask and anti-vaxx expansion of the state’s voucher scheme.
Ducey announced last week that he will be (mis)using federal pandemic aid funds to pay for students to attend private schools if their public school has a mask mandate, orders quarantines due to COVID-19 exposure or imposes requirements on students because they are unvaccinated.
FFRF has previously made a case against Arizona voucher programs that almost exclusively benefit religious schools. Expanding the program will only open the door to more fraud and abuse.
With what’s become a “pandemic of the unvaccinated,” chaos is reigning. Parents of children under 12 are anxious and concerned about when their children will be cleared for vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has altered its advice to encourage indoor masking in areas of the country with low vaccination rates — and that currently includes everyone in Arizona. The proposals that are being raised by Ducey are dangerous, anti-science, and unfair to reasonable Arizonans and to Arizona children who are too young to get vaccinated. Help protect Arizona; urge Ducey to reverse this decision immediately.
Please take a few moments to contact Gov. Ducey and urge him to stop these policies and programs by clicking the "Take Action" button below.
Talking Points
Dear Gov. Ducey,
As an Arizonan, I am deeply troubled that our state is not listening to science and is instead proposing policies that will make the pandemic worse by discouraging schools from taking life-saving measures to combat a global pandemic. Please rescind your announced expansion of the state’s private school voucher program, which is a direct attack on public schools trying to protect their students.
Arizona’s voucher program has had a terrible history of fraud and abuse, siphoning public school funds to religious private schools and opportunistic bureaucrats without any measurable benefit to students who receive vouchers. The program should be ended — not expanded.
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Urge Gov. Cooper to sign anti-child-marriage bill into law
North Carolina is advancing SB 35, an important bill that increases the minimum age of marriage from 14 to 16. It also creates a new requirement that those seeking to marry a minor cannot be more than four years older than the person they intend to marry.
While it would be preferable to end ALL child marriage in North Carolina, SB 35 is a step in the right direction. North Carolina has a reputation as a state willing to marry young girls to much older men, and SB 35 will protect many girls who would otherwise be forced into such a marriage.
As Unchained at Last, an anti-child-marriage advocacy organization, points out, “While the federal criminal code prohibits sex with a child age 12 to 15, it specifically exempts those who first marry the child. This incentivizes child marriage and implicitly endorses child rape.” In 88 percent of marriages with such age differentials, the marriage license becomes a “get out of jail free” card, the group asserts, because sexual contact would be considered statutory rape.
Please take a few moments to urge that Gov. Roy Cooper sign this critical bill into law.
Click on the red “Take Action” link to use our automated system to contact the governor and urge him to sign SB 35 into law. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. For best results, be polite and concise.
TALKING POINTS
Dear Gov. Cooper,
As a North Carolinian, I am deeply troubled that our state has developed a reputation for marrying adult men to young girls, effectively facilitating statutory rape. Please sign SB 35 into law.
While SB 35 is not perfect and banning all child marriage would be preferable (as several other states have recently done), it is a step in the right direction. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
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Demand Little League remove “I trust in God” from its pledge
Little League is alienating the large portion of young people who do not have a religious affiliation by requiring players on the field to recite a pledge that states "I trust in God." FFRF has been repeatedly contacted about this unnecessary pledge in the past. Now is the time to urge the president of Little League, Stephen D. Keener, to do something.
The inclusion of this line in the pledge is unrepresentative of the U.S population and completely unnecessary. Since 2007, there has been a 10 percent increase in nonreligious Americans, who are now roughly a quarter of the population.
Organizations like Little League need to stop brainwashing our children into thinking the United States is a theocracy. If you want baseball to be about fun and friendly competition instead of being divisive and coercive towards nonbelievers, contact Little League International and urge it to strike out “I trust in God” from its pledge.
Read Freedom From Religion Foundation’s full statement chiding Little League.
Email Little League through the link provided on its website and urge Stephen Keener to remove this divisive line. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
TALKING POINTS
As a nonreligious American citizen, I urge you to remove, "I trust in God" from your pledge. The use of such a line is unnecessary and excludes the nonbelieving children and parents who are a part of your organization. Keep baseball the inspiring and entertaining game it is, and leave religion out of it.
More »Help block Va. city council’s attempt to foist ‘IGWT’ on cop cars
The Chesapeake City Council is considering a proposal tonight to put “In God We Trust” on all its police vehicles, and we need your help now to thwart this proposal.
Such moves are about advancing the Big Lie that the United States was “founded on God” or Christianity, thus dismantling the wall between religion and government. The motto “In God We Trust” is inaccurate, exclusionary, and aimed at brainwashing the country into believing that our nation is a theocracy.
And the exercise will be a waste of taxpayer money. There’ll be an estimated $81,000 in labor costs to add it to 1,500 vehicles, plus $6,000 for materials.
The Chesapeake City Council meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Eastern tonight, July 13, in the City Hall Council chamber at 306 Cedar Road. Please attend the meeting if you live in the area and make your opposition to this absurdity heard loud and clear.
“In God We Trust” was belatedly adopted as a motto when President Eisenhower signed legislation at the behest of the Knights of Columbus and other religious entities, which undertook a national lobbying campaign during the height of 1950s zealotry. The original inclusionary U.S. motto, chosen by a distinguished committee of Jefferson, Franklin and Adams, is the Latin E Pluribus Unum (From Many, [Come] One). As FFRF principal founder Anne Gaylor always pointed out, the religious motto isn't even correct: “To be accurate it would have to read ‘In God Some of Us Trust,’ and wouldn’t that be silly?”
Anne Gaylor’s remark is more apt now than ever. The number of “Nones,” those with no religious affiliation, has tripled since the 1990s, to comprise 23 percent of the U.S. population in 2020. The “Nones” have made substantial inroads in all sectors, a just-released report shows.
Please contact Chesapeake City Council members and urge them to oppose the "In God We Trust" shenanigans. Their emails and phone numbers can be found here.
TALKING POINTS
As an area resident and nonreligious citizen, I am asking you to please oppose the Chesapeake City Council resolution seeking to impose “In God We Trust” on police vehicles. It is an exclusionary motto adopted during the McCarthy era, and it would result in a waste of precious taxpayer dollars. Thank you for standing up for our secular Constitution.
More »Pass Federal Budget without Hyde and Weldon
Please urge your U.S. representative now to stand up for secular values, science and women’s rights.
The full House floor is expected to begin voting on the federal budget next week. For the first time in 50 years, the budget does not contain the Hyde Amendment. The Weldon Amendment, passed since 2005, was also eliminated. Both of these riders severely restrict abortion care and access to millions of women throughout the United States, so we’re asking for your help to keep them out of the budget.
The religiously rooted Hyde Amendment is an annual appropriations rider banning federal funding for abortions with few exceptions. Low-income women on Medicaid (one in five women in the United States), those in the Indian Health Service Plan or the Peace Corps are essentially denied abortion care unless their state is one of the few to cover such care. The Hyde Amendment was first introduced in 1976 by the ultra-Catholic Rep. Henry J. Hyde of Illinois, whose Catholic convictions emboldened him to pass some of the most restrictive anti-abortion legislation in the country.
The Weldon Amendment is a rider that emboldens hospitals, insurance companies and health care professionals to deny women health care by refusing to provide, cover or refer abortion services based on “religious or moral grounds.”
Yet the majority of Americans (and 98.8 percent of FFRF members) believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Help ensure that abortion access and equity is free from religious interference.
Please make your voice heard! Send a message to your U.S. House representative to pass a federal spending bill without the Hyde or Weldon Amendments.
TALKING POINTS
As a secular voter, it is critical to me that you fulfill your promise to stand up for reproductive rights by voting for a federal spending budget that excludes the Hyde and Weldon Amendments. For decades, the Hyde Amendment has prevented underserved women from accessing safe abortion services, exacerbating the already grotesque inequalities that exist in U.S. health care access. Similarly, the Weldon Amendment has emboldened health care providers and insurance companies to restrict health care services due to the religious beliefs of corporate owners at the expense of the health and safety of millions of Americans. Please stand with the overwhelming number of Americans who believe abortion should be legal and vote for a federal budget without this destructive legislation. Thank you for safeguarding women’s reproductive rights.
More »Take Action to end child marriage in Rhode Island
Rhode Island is advancing a pair of good bills, SB 398 and HB 5378, which would increase the minimum age for marriage to 18 — with no exceptions. Please take a few moments to make your voice heard on this important issue.
More than 200,000 minors in the United States were married between 2000 and 2015. A report published earlier this year warns that the Covid-19 pandemic is threatening decades of progress toward eliminating child marriage worldwide. School closures, economic stress, service disruptions, pregnancy and parental deaths are putting an additional 10 million girls globally at risk for child marriage before the end of the decade.
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 marriages stem from antiquated and horrifying religious beliefs that compromise the safety of children, but many states still allow the practice in order to pacify powerful theocratic constituencies.
Click on the red “Take Action” link to use our automated system to contact your state lawmakers and urge them to vote yes on these bills. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »TAKE ACTION: Protect abortion rights in Wisconsin
Abortion rights are under attack nationwide, and that includes in our home state. Please take a few moments to contact your state lawmakers and urge them to overturn Wisconsin’s archaic statute criminalizing abortion by supporting the Abortion Rights Preservation Act.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear an appeal of a Mississippi statute that bans most abortions after 15 weeks, laying the ground for SCOTUS’ anti-choice majority to reverse Roe v. Wade and erase abortion rights nationwide. Should this happen, Wisconsin’s statute criminalizing abortion, dating back to 1849, would go into immediate effect. Physicians who perform abortions could go to prison for up to six years.
The case, Dobbs v. Jackson Health Organization, will be the first significant abortion case heard by the high court since extremist Amy Coney Barrett replaced Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Barrett is one of the three anti-abortion justices appointed to the high court by previous President Trump, whose stated goal was to overturn Roe.
The Abortion Rights Preservation Act, AB 106/SB 75, would eliminate Wisconsin’s ancient ban and preserve abortion rights in the state, even in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned. Please use our simple, automated system to contact your state lawmakers and urge them to support this critical legislation. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most effective.
More »Urge Biden to strike anti-choice amendments from budget
Please take a few moments to urge President Biden to stand up to religious megadonors and members of Congress by excluding two amendments from the presidential budget that restrict access to abortion and family planning services.
The first, the Hyde Amendment, is a discriminatory provision that denies federal funding for abortion care, mainly for low-income women. Women on Medicaid are ineligible for receiving subsidized abortion care unless their residential state uses its own funds to pay for abortion care, which is only the case in 16 states. The Hyde Amendment disproportionally limits already underserved populations from accessing abortion services, further exacerbating health care and economic inequality.
The Hyde Amendment was introduced in 1976 by Rep. Henry J. Hyde of Illinois, a staunch Catholic who was praised by the Catholic Church for his extremist anti-abortion policies. He cited “the final judgment” and fear of “what happens to them in eternity” as his motivations for the amendment. Read “It’s time to end the Hyde Amendment” by Barbara Alvarez.
The second, the Weldon Amendment, is considered a “conscience protection” that emboldens hospitals, insurance companies and health care professionals to deny women health care by refusing to provide, cover or refer abortion care based on “religious or moral grounds.” Allowing providers to deny patients’ rights because of religious beliefs threatens access to quality, comprehensive health care.
These provisions are plainly based on dogmatic religious beliefs, and abandon the safety and autonomy of some of the most vulnerable Americans. Biden has promised to end the Hyde Amendment, but he needs to hear public support for doing so immediately. Please urge Biden to exclude the Hyde Amendment and Weldon Amendment from the presidential budget. Click on the red “Take Action” link below to contact the White House. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
Support HHS rule expanding access to family planning
The Department of Health and Human Services has published a new proposed rule to reverse the Trump administration’s cruel attacks on Title X, the federal program providing family planning and other health care screening to low-income patients. Please take a moment to submit a public comment to support this proposal to expand equitable, affordable family planning services.
Under pressure from religious megadonors, the Trump administration instituted the domestic gag rule, which stripped public funding under Title X from health care providers offering abortion services or information. This callous and shortsighted policy change specifically targeted Planned Parenthood clinics, endangering the health care and safety of millions of women across the country and leaving many underserved communities scrambling to find new providers or going without services entirely.
The proposal, “Ensuring Access to Equitable, Affordable, Client-Centered, Quality Family Planning Services,” will reverse the Trump gag rule, restore funding to health care providers who offer abortion services or referral, and advance public health by expanding access to health care for underserved Americans.
Read FFRF’s full comment in support of the new proposed rule.
Submit a formal comment on this to the Department of Health and Human Services proposal via the Federal Registrar. Follow the brief steps below. Feel free to copy and paste or adapt the talking points provided. The public comment period on these HHS rules is open until Monday, May 17.
- Click on the red “Take Action!” link below. You will be taken to the regulations.gov comment page.
- Click on the green button in the upper right corner that reads “Submit a Formal Comment.”
- Fill out the prompt provided.
TALKING POINTS
I strongly support the new Department of Health and Human Services proposed rule change “Ensuring Access to Equitable, Affordable, Client-Centered, Quality Family Planning Services,” which will overturn the domestic gag rule. Expanding health care access for underserved Americans is critical, including access to comprehensive family planning services and abortion services. As a secular nation, we must not allow the religious motivations of the few to dictate the health care of millions of women.
More »Oppose reinstatement of religious vaccine exemptions in Maine
The Maine Legislature is again trying to reinstate religious vaccination exemptions, putting all Mainers at risk.
Please take a few moments to contact Maine lawmakers and urge them to oppose this dangerous bill (LD 833).
These exemptions were removed in 2019, and a statewide mandate to overturn that change was resoundly defeated, showing a strong public consensus that Maine residents do not want such nonmedical exemptions.
It is critical that we counter the influence of anti-science religious zealots, whose dangerous rhetoric has caused very serious and preventable infectious disease outbreaks in numerous states across the country. Most recently, this anti-science rhetoric has fueled the spread of Covid-19. And in the case of other infection disease outbreaks, such as measles, it’s been shown that states with the most relaxed exemption laws see the highest rates of infection.
The Maine Joint Education and Cultural Affairs Committee has a hearing on this bill tomorrow, Thursday, May 6, at 10 a.m. local time. Please stand against this dangerous bill that will put Mainers at risk due to the implications of other people’s religious dogma. Click on the red “Take Action” link below to contact all members of this committee and urge them to vote no on LD 833. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Please support reproductive freedom bills in N.Y.
The New York Legislature is considering a host of positive bills to expand reproductive justice in your state. These bills are each a step toward humane public policy that champions reason and science over religion and dogma.
The following bills are all going to be considered at a hearing tomorrow, so please contact state lawmakers today and urge them to support these measures:
- S 399 provides additional rights to pregnant inmates. Pregnant woman will be allowed one support person in the delivery room, will be apprised of nursery programs and will be informed about pregnancy counseling and abortion services.
- S 401 will establish a women’s health education program in state and local correctional facilities. This will include informed care for women who have been victims of domestic and sexual violence and will expand medical options and services for incarcerated women.
- S 5633 enacts the “Public University Emergency Contraception Education Act.” If passed, every college and university in the state will receive informational materials and posters to be shared with students about the safety and efficacy of emergency contraception.
A critical component of undoing the Religious Right’s grip on public policy, including its prominent opposition to reproductive rights, is implementing positive measures like these that expand the rights of all people to make informed decisions about their own medical care. As secular Americans, we must champion legislation that is guided by reason, science and morality. Please take a few moments to urge your lawmakers to do the same.
The N.Y. Senate Committee on Women’s Issues has a hearing on these bills tomorrow, Wednesday, May 5, at 9:30 a.m. local time. Please use our simple, automated system to contact all members of the committee and urge them to vote yes on S 399, S 401 and S 5633. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »TAKE ACTION: Support conversion therapy ban in Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rico Legislature is considering a proposal to ban conversion therapy — and lawmakers need to hear your support for this bill.
The bill, PC 683, would protect LGBTQ Puerto Ricans from the barbaric, pseudoscientific religious treatment deceitfully called “conversion therapy” by restricting any licensed physician or mental health care professional in the state from engaging in the practice.
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 House Judiciary Committee will soon consider PC 683. Click on the red “Take Action” link below to contact all members of this committee and urge them to support PC 683. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. If you prefer to contact the members of the House Judiciary Committee in Spanish, feel free to copy and paste the translated talking points below into the message box instead of the English version. Please also share this action alert with like-minded Puerto Ricans.
PUNTOS DE CONVERSACIÓN
Como su elector, le insto a que apoye a PC 683, que prohíbe la terapia de conversión en Puerto Rico.
Se ha demostrado que la terapia de conversión es ineficaz y traumatizante física y psicológicamente para quienes se ven obligados a soportarla. Esta llamada “terapia” no solo ha sido ampliamente desacreditada en la profesión médica, sino que se ha demostrado que causa un daño significativo a quienes son sometidos a ella, incluido un mayor riesgo de depresión e intentos de suicidio.
En interés de la salud y el bienestar de los puertorriqueños LGBTQ, es imperativo que se apruebe este proyecto de ley y que los puertorriqueños proscriban esta práctica bárbara. Gracias por su tiempo.
More »
Tell Congress: We need a National Day of Reason
In the last year, we have seen a global pandemic claim the lives of more than half a million Americans, extreme weather and environmental disaster brought on by a warming planet, and unprecedented attacks on our secular democracy. Now more than ever, reason — not prayer or superstition — must guide us as we work to solve the complex challenges we face.
Please use this opportunity to remind lawmakers that reason and fact-based public policy form our only tenable path forward and join FFRF in calling on Congress to establish a National Day of Reason.
Led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, co-chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, a number of national legislators are championing a resolution proclaiming Friday, May 7, as an annual National Day of Reason. Other sponsors include Reps. Jared Huffman, Mark Pocan, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jerry McNerney and Pramila Jayapal, all Congressional Freethought Caucus members.
This resolution, House Resolution 357, recognizes the central importance of reason in the betterment of humanity and makes clear the practical implications of straying from evidence-based policy by reminding us that "irrationality, magical and conspiratorial thinking, and disbelief in science have undermined the national effort to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, contributing to the deaths of more than 555,000 people in the United States.”
Read FFRF’s full statement in support of the National Day of Reason.
Click on the red “Take Action” link below to use our simple, automated system to contact your U.S. representative and urge them to become a co-sponsor of the resolution calling for a National Day of Reason. If your representative is already a co-sponsor, make sure to instead thank them for their leadership. Personalized messages are always the most impactful (simply edit our automated message to place your stamp on it).
More »TAKE ACTION: Oppose anti-choice legislation in Alabama
The Alabama Legislature is considering a dangerous anti-choice bill that would greatly hinder access to comprehensive reproductive health care in the state. We need you to speak out against this extremist proposal.
The bill, HB 377, would ban medication abortion outright. Since the Food and Drug Administration approved the drugs used in medication abortions in 2000, it has become an extremely safe and effective option for women seeking to terminate a pregnancy. In 2017, medication abortions accounted for 39 percent of all abortions in the United States with a success rate of 95 to 98 percent. Risk of major complications related to medication abortions is minimal — less than 1 percent.
Anti-choice politicians continue to look for any route to restrict access to reproductive health care in an effort to inflict their religious beliefs on all citizens, even outlawing medication that has been proven safe and effective. Medical decisions like choosing abortion are between patients and their doctors and should not brook interference from dogmatic politicians. This bill codifies into law beliefs not based on science or morality, but on religion and so-called holy books. The Christian Right has been and remains the primary opponent to women’s reproductive rights.
The Alabama House Judiciary Committee has a hearing on HB 377 tomorrow, Wednesday, April 28, at 1:30 p.m. local time. Please use our simple, automated system to contact all members of this committee and urge them to vote no on this extremist measure. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most impactful.
More »TAKE ACTION: Idaho passes near-total abortion ban
An extremely strict so-called “fetal heartbeat” bill that would outlaw abortion after six weeks of pregnancy has been passed by the Idaho Legislature and will now head to Gov. Brad Little’s desk to be signed into law. Please use our simple, automated system to contact Little and urge him to reject this extremist measure.
Six-week abortion bans like this one (HB 366), also commonly misrepresented as “heartbeat bills,” are a favorite of the anti-choice Religious Right, intended to outlaw abortion after an embryonic pulse (not heartbeat) can be detected (as early as five weeks). Most women do not even know they are pregnant that early, which is, of course, the point. Read FFRF’s full statement condemning HB 366.
The bill codifies into law beliefs not based on science or morality, but on religion and so-called holy books. The Christian Right has been and remains the primary opponent to women’s reproductive rights. Indeed the “architect” of the “fetal heartbeat” bill runs an organization called “Faith2Action,” which seeks to impose a particular religious viewpoint on all citizens.
Please click on the red “Take Action” link below to email or call Little’s office and urge him to veto HB 366. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most impactful.
More »TAKE ACTION: “In God We Trust” bill has passed the Ill. House
Last month, we urged you to oppose an Illinois bill aiming to inject Christian nationalism into public schools. Despite opposition from constituents, this bill has passed the Illinois House and will now be considered by the state Senate. Please take a few moments to contact your state senator and urge them to vote no on this bill.
The bill, HB 217, would permit Illinois public schools to display “In God We Trust” on school property. This bill 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 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.
The motto “In God We Trust” is inaccurate, exclusionary and aimed at brainwashing American schoolchildren into believing that our nation is a theocracy. Please use our simple, automated system to contact your Illinois state senators and urge them to vote no on this bill. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Oppose bible classes, religious displays in Missouri public schools
The Missouri Legislature is advancing a dangerous bill aiming to inject Christian nationalism into public schools in your state. Please take a few moments to contact your state lawmakers and urge them to oppose this theocratic proposal.
The bill, HB 108, would introduce bible classes into public schools and would require every school in the state to prominently display “In God We Trust” on school property.
This bill is part of the nationwide legislative push known as Project Blitz, which 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, inspire patriotism or 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.
Read more about bible classes in public schools.
HB 108 has already passed out of its House committee and will now be heard by the full House of Representatives. Please click on the red “Take Action” link below to use our automated system to call or email your representative and urge them to vote no on HB 108.
More »Urge Gov. Lee to veto anti-trans ‘bathroom bill’
The Tennessee Legislature has passed an extremist anti-LGBTQ bill that is now headed to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. Please take a few moments to read about this dangerous measure and urge Gov. Bill Lee to veto it.
The bill, HB 1233, is deceitfully titled the “Tennessee Accommodations for All Children Act.” In reality, this bill is another transgender bathroom bill — a favorite of the inflammatory Religious Right — by another name. If signed into law, this bill would allow students who don't want to share bathrooms with transgender classmates to request single-occupancy restrooms. Otherwise, if the student sees a transgender person in the bathroom, the bill would provide the student with a cause of action against the school for "psychological, emotional and physical harm suffered," plus attorneys' fees and costs.
Anti-LGBTQ legislative efforts are rooted in religious dogma. For example, the nationwide effort known as Project Blitz includes sweeping anti-LGBTQ measures while advancing the lie that America is a Christian nation, aiming to cement religiously motivated discrimination into the law. This bill, like those before it, is an attempt to perpetuate unscientific views about "biological sex" and to baselessly paint transgender students as predators.
Please use our simple, automated system to urge Gov. Bill Lee to veto this cruel proposal. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most impactful.
More »TAKE ACTION: Oppose anti-choice constitutional amendment in Alaska
The Alaska Legislature is considering a dangerous measure to undermine abortion rights and we need you to speak out against it.
The bill, SJR 4, would propose a constitutional amendment stating that “nothing in this Constitution may be construed to secure or protect a right to an abortion or require the state to fund an abortion.” This bill would ultimately make it easier for more abortion restrictions and for the state to ban abortion outright if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned, which many fear may be in the near future.
The bill begins the process of inserting into the state Constitution beliefs not based on science or morality, but on religion and so-called holy books. The Christian Right has been and remains the primary opponent to women’s reproductive rights.
The Alaska Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on SJR 4 on Friday, April 23, at 1:30 p.m. local time. Please use our simple, automated system to contact all members of the committee and urge them to vote no on SJR 4 and to prioritize the advancement of reproductive rights. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most effective!
More »
TAKE ACTION: Equalize access to menstrual products in California
The California Legislature is considering a good bill (AB 367) that would require all public schools to make menstrual products available to students at no cost. Please take a few moments to urge lawmakers to support this measure.
Much of the cultural stigma still attached to menstruation is deeply rooted in the fact that nearly all major religions have shamed this natural, life-giving function. This continues to have tangible consequences for women and girls worldwide, even in developed nations like the United States.
Read more about the religious roots of menstruation stigma.
Lack of access to menstrual products, especially for low-income women and girls, can result in lost education and lost employment and earning opportunities, which fuels inequality in countless ways. The work of undoing the harm caused by these archaic religious customs is a secular issue. Equalizing access to menstrual products is a key first step.
The California Assembly of Higher Education has a hearing on AB 367 on Thursday, April 22. Click on the red “Take Action” link below to contact all members of this committee and urge them to support this important bill. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Tell Texas lawmakers: Don’t favor religious interests over public health
The Texas Legislature is considering a bill that would strip state and local leaders of their ability to enact policies shown to save lives during this pandemic and future emergencies. This is in response to the unwarranted and dangerous pattern of churches insisting that they must be exempt from public health orders during emergencies.
Please urge Texas lawmakers to oppose this dangerous measure and prioritize public health and safety over well-connected special interest groups.
The bill, HB 3046, is designed to interfere with local governments’ ability to cooperate with the federal government on emergency response policies, including on policies that limit worship services. Governments already regularly limit worship gatherings that jeopardize public health. For instance, the government prohibits churches from cramming too many people into a building in violation of fire codes and also requires that church buildings comply with necessary building codes. Preventing large gatherings due to a pandemic is even more crucial. Limiting the size and scope of religious gatherings is not a ban on worship any more than speed limits are a ban on driving.
Read FFRF’s Covid state/church resources guide for more information.
The Texas House State Affairs Committee has a hearing on HB 3046 next Tuesday, April 20, at 8 a.m. local time. Please click on the red “Take Action” link below to contact all members of this committee and urge them to vote no on HB 3046. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »TAKE ACTION: Oppose Missouri neo-voucher scheme
The Missouri Legislature is considering two bad neo-voucher bills that would divert money from public school to private, almost exclusively religious, education. Please take a few moments to tell Missouri lawmakers to oppose these damaging proposals.
These bills, HB 496 and HB 528, grant tax credits to parents who send their children to private schools. If passed, these bills mean Missouri taxpayers would be footing the bill for private school expenses. Private schools, in turn, operate without government oversight, so taxpayers will have no mechanism for holding schools accountable. Where public money goes, public accountability must follow.
Voucher schemes like the one under consideration in Missouri financially devastate public schools and would force Missouri taxpayers to fund private religious education. Lacking oversight and accountability, voucher schemes in states across the country also invariably lead to widespread fraud and mismanagement.
Read FFRF’s “The Case Against Vouchers.”
The Missouri House Elementary and Secondary Education Committee has a hearing on these bills next Tuesday, April 20, at 8 a.m. Please use our automated system to contact all members of the subcommittee and urge them to vote no on this proposal. Click on the red “Take Action” button and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Tell Florida: Christian nationalism should not be taught in public schools!
The Florida Department of Education is proposing new curriculum standards that would indoctrinate children into the Christian nationalist view of American history. There is still time to oppose the changes.
It is crucial that Floridians oppose these new rules. The Florida Department of Education is accepting input on these proposed changes through April 23. Please tell the department to eliminate these two benchmarks from the final rules: SS.7.C.1.12 (7th grade) and SS.912.C.1.5 (9th grade). Contact information listed below.
MORE INFORMATION:
The standards would force students to recognize a fallacious, revisionist history of the United States, that “Judeo-Christian values influenced America’s founding ideals and documents.”
The problematic new proposal for 7th grade reads:
- Recognize how Judeo-Christian values influenced America’s founding ideals and documents.
- Students will analyze the degree of civic participation inherent in these civilizations.
- Students will identify Judeo-Christian values (e.g., rule of law, God-given rights, equality of mankind, limited government, separation of powers, consent of the governed) in founding documents.
- Students will recognize the influence of the Protestant work ethic on economic freedom and personal responsibility.
- Students will recognize the influence of the Ten Commandments on establishing the rule of law in America.
- Students will explain what is meant by “All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
The proposal for the 9th grade curriculum is more compact, but basically identical: SS.912.C.1.5 Analyze the influence of Judeo-Christian values on America’s founding ideals and documents.
- Students will recognize Judeo-Christian principles of law and government in primary sources (e.g., rule of law, God-given rights, equality of mankind, limited government, separation of powers, consent of the governed) in primary sources.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Michael DiPierro, Bureau of Standards and
Instructional Support, Florida Dept. of Education
850-245-9773
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Suggested talking points:
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As a Florida voter, I urge you to eliminate SS.7.C.1.12 (7th grade) and SS.912.C.1.5 (9th grade) from the final civics and government curriculum standards.
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This is an attempt to smuggle Christian nationalism into public schools. History simply does not support this benchmark.
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“Judeo-Christian” is a contradiction in terms.
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Judeo-Christian values often opposed the values and principles that founded the United States.
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Much of this benchmark is simply wrong. For instance, separation of powers is not a Judeo-Christian value, but came from Montesquieu. We know this because the Founders said so.
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The Ten Commandments did not influence our founding documents. Which ten commandments will be taught? There are four different sets in any bible and different bibles interpret them differently. The set in Exodus 20 contain rules that thoroughly conflict with American ideals of liberty and justice.
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This claim is simply not supported by history. Instead, it is an attempt to justify an exclusionary movement in pursuit of power today, right now. That movement is called Christian nationalism.
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The desire to teach the impact of so-called “Protestant work ethic” is really a Trojan horse to propagandize Christian nationalism and economic individualism, which fuel systems of oppression, including white supremacy and unregulated capitalism.
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Christianity has been used to defend the evils of slavery, genocide, segregation and systemic inequality of all stripes. Claiming our economic systems originate in rugged individualism and “divine guidance” is a well-worn Christian propaganda device, but is not true to the secular founding of our country. This serves those attempting to hoard social and political capital very well, while brainwashing public school children about the origins of our economic system.
More information on the Florida revisions of student standards can be found here.
More »Urge your members of Congress to sponsor court expansion act
After decades of becoming increasingly politicized, homogenized and captured by special interests, our federal courts are in urgent need of reform.
The Judiciary Act of 2021, a bill introduced in the House of Representatives just this week, would add four seats to the Supreme Court, a critical step in the movement to rebalance our courts and preserve our democracy.
Please call on your member of Congress to co-sponsor the Judiciary Act of 2021.
Court expansion and reform are in order for many reasons. The court’s current makeup is dramatically ideologically imbalanced and not reflective of the American electorate. The nation’s highest court should better represent the U.S. population, not only by sex and race, but by diversity of legal background and other life experiences. This conservative majority has proven hostile to state/church separation, reproductive and LGBTQ rights and voting rights in favor of corporations and special interests.
Historically, the number of seats on the Supreme Court has been tied to the number of circuit courts in the country, of which there are now 13. Expanding the size of the bench, which has been done seven times before and does not require a constitutional amendment, is a necessary part of modernizing the court.
In order to restore balance, public legitimacy and impartiality to the Supreme Court, adding justices is an urgent starting point. Please contact your lawmakers today and urge them to support this bill and prioritize court reform at all levels. Click on the red “Take Action” link below to get connected with your members of Congress. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
Read FFRF’s full statement in support of court reform and expansion and of the Judiciary Act of 2021.
More »Take Action: N.H. lawmakers advance ‘In God We Trust’ in schools
A few weeks ago, we asked you to tell New Hampshire representatives to oppose a dangerous bill that would permit public schools in the state to display “In God We Trust” in every building.
Despite opposition, this bill has passed the House and will now be considered by the state Senate. This is our last chance to stop this exclusionary bill before it heads to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.
This bill, HB 69, 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 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.
Finally, HB 69 states that schools and school boards “shall be held harmless for complying with this section.” This will embolden schools to violate the Establishment Clause, and the state legislature cannot hold public schools “harmless” when they are brought to federal court for violating the U.S. Constitution.
Click on the red “Take Action” link below to contact the members of the New Hampshire Senate Education Committee and urge them to oppose HB 69. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Tell Calif. lawmakers not to exempt religion from pandemic gathering limits
The California Legislature is considering a bill, SB 397, that would force the governor to define churches as “an essential service” and makes it virtually impossible for the state to impose health, safety or occupancy requirements on church services due to an emergency.
Please join FFRF in calling on state lawmakers to reject this dangerous bill and instead prioritize the public safety of all California residents.
Governments already regularly limit worship gatherings that jeopardize public health. For instance, the government prohibits churches from cramming too many people into a building in violation of fire codes and also requires that church buildings comply with necessary building codes. Preventing large gatherings due to a pandemic is even more crucial.
Read FFRF’s Covid state/church resources guide for more information.
This bill will be heard by the Senate Judiciary Committee next Tuesday, April 13, at 1:30 p.m. local time. Please click on the red “Take Action!” link below to contact all members of this committee and urge them to oppose SB 397. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »TAKE ACTION: Oppose religious takeover of public schools in Arkansas
The Arkansas Legislature is considering two extremely dangerous bills that would inject religion into public schools in your state. Please take a few moments to contact lawmakers and urge them to vote no on these proposed measures.
The first, SB 662, would designate the last Wednesday in September as a “Day of Prayer for Arkansas Students” and requires the governor to call on citizens to pray. Public schools exist to educate, not to proselytize. Children in public schools are a captive audience. Making prayer an official part of the school day is coercive and invasive.
The second, HB 1701, would “allow creationism to be taught as a theory of how the Earth came to be” in public schools. Evolution, like gravity, is a scientific fact. Teaching creationism as scientific fact in public schools is unconstitutional, as many courts have held. Passing this bill would cost taxpayers extensively when inevitable lawsuits are filed. Teaching that there is a scientific controversy about the validity of evolution or the Big Bang is akin to teaching astrology with astronomy or alchemy beside chemistry.
If you are a parent of an Arkansas public school student and are interested in being a part of a legal challenge in the event that this unconstitutional law permitting the teaching of creationism is passed, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss the possibility with our legal team.
Each of these bills will soon be heard by the Arkansas Senate Education Committee, including a hearing on Monday, April 12, that will include SB 662. Please use our simple, automated system to contact all members of this committee and urge them to oppose these theocratic bills.
More »Urge Rhode Island lawmakers to squash dangerous anti-abortion bills
Anti-choice politicians have introduced an onslaught of legislation intended to outlaw abortion in your state. Please take a few moments to oppose these extremist bills and tell Rhode Island lawmakers to stop their attacks on reproductive rights.
HR 5996 establishes legal personhood once a “fetal heartbeat” is detected. Such bills are a favorite of the anti-choice Religious Right, intended to outlaw abortion after an embryonic pulse (not heartbeat) can be detected (as early as five weeks). Most women do not even know they are pregnant that early, which is, of course, the point.
HB 5865 could make abortion illegal as early as eight weeks gestation based on anti-choice pseudoscientific evidence.
HB 5582 and HB 5037 would hinder access to abortion later in pregnancy. These bills are categorically unnecessary. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, late-term abortions (those after 20 weeks) accounted for just over 1 percent of abortions in 2016. Medical experts say there is no evidence that fetuses feel pain at 20 weeks, and fetuses “surviving abortion” is an event that is exceedingly rare and typically occurs when a doctor must induce labor to terminate a nonviable pregnancy.
The Rhode Island House Committee on Judiciary will consider these bills on Friday, April 9, at 2 p.m. local time. Click on the red “Take Action” link below to contact all members of this committee and urge them to oppose these bills. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »TAKE ACTION: Equalize access to menstrual products in Vermont
The Vermont Legislature is advancing a positive bill (S. 115) that would, among other things, require all public schools to make menstrual products available to students at no cost. Please take a few moments to urge lawmakers to support this measure.
Much of the cultural stigma still attached to menstruation is deeply rooted in the fact that nearly all major religions have shamed this natural, life-giving function. This continues to have tangible consequences for women and girls worldwide, even in developed nations like the United States.
Read more about the religious roots of menstruation stigma.
Lack of access to menstrual products, especially for low-income women and girls, can result in lost education and lost employment and earning opportunities, which fuels inequality in countless ways. The work of undoing the harm caused by these archaic religious customs is a secular issue. Equalizing access to menstrual products is a key first step.
This bill has already passed the state Senate and has a hearing tomorrow, April 7, at 8:30 a.m. local time in front of the Vermont House Committee on Education. Click on the red “Take Action” link below to contact all members of this committee and urge them to support this important bill. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Take action: Abortion rights are on the chopping block in Texas
Anti-choice politicians have introduced an onslaught of legislation intended to outlaw abortion in your state. Please take a few moments to oppose these extremist bills and tell Texas lawmakers to stop their attacks on reproductive rights.
- HB 1280 would make abortion a criminal offense.
- HB 1515 outlaws abortion after a so-called “fetal heartbeat” is detected, before most women know they are pregnant.
- HB 2313 requires anti-abortion resources to be shared with the patient.
- HB 2337 adds more restrictions to medication abortion and prohibits abortion medication from being provided via telehealth.
- HB 3218 adds additional unnecessary provisions to abortion care.
- HB 3760 incorporates more anti-abortion measures and includes faux civil rights information.
The House Committee on Public Health has a hearing on these six bills on Wednesday, April 7, at 8 a.m. local time. Click on the red “Take Action” link below to contact all members of this committee and urge them to oppose these dangerous anti-choice measures. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
More »Urge Indiana lawmakers to squash dangerous anti-abortion bill
The Indiana Legislature is advancing a dangerous anti-science bill that threatens abortion rights in your state. Please contact your state lawmakers and urge them to oppose this egregious measure.
The bill, HB 1577, would require physicians who prescribe abortion pills to inform patients about so-called “abortion reversal procedures,” which the American Medical Association (AMA) has called “a patently false and unproven claim unsupported by scientific evidence.” One study of “abortion reversal” medication had to be stopped prematurely when 25 percent of the participants had to be rushed to the hospital due to severe vaginal bleeding. Legislating medical procedures based on this pseudoscientific dogma could have potentially deadly consequences.
Shockingly, this bill has already passed out of its state Senate committee and will next be heard by the full body. Please click on the red “Take Action” link below to call or email your senator and urge them to vote no on HB 1577. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most impactful.
More »TAKE ACTION: Abortion could soon be illegal in Arizona
The Arizona Legislature is advancing a last-minute bill that would ban nearly all abortions in Arizona. Please take a few moments to contact your state lawmakers and urge them to oppose this bill.
The bill, HB 2140, is an extremely strict so-called “fetal heartbeat” bill that would outlaw abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Six-week abortion bans, also commonly misrepresented as “heartbeat bills,” are a favorite of the anti-choice Religious Right, intended to outlaw abortion after an embryonic pulse (not heartbeat) can be detected (as early as five weeks). Most women do not even know they are pregnant that early, which is, of course, the point.
The bill codifies into law beliefs not based on science or morality, but on religion and so-called holy books. The Christian Right has been and remains the primary opponent to women’s reproductive rights. Indeed, the “architect” of the “fetal heartbeat” bill runs an organization called Faith2Action, which seeks to impose a particular religious viewpoint on all citizens.
WAYS TO TAKE ACTION:
- Please click on the red “Take Action” button below to contact your Arizona lawmakers and urge them to oppose this unconstitutional measure. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most effective.
- Speak out against HB 2140 on social media.
- Write a letter to the editor to your local Arizona newspaper opposing HB 2140 to influence public opinion on this issue.
Oppose N.D. bill permitting Ten Commandments displays in schools
A North Dakota bill that would require school districts to allow Ten Commandments displays “in the school and in a classroom” is moving quickly through the Legislature, and we need your help to stop it.
SB 2308 has shockingly already passed the state Senate and will soon be voted on by the House. This is our last chance to stop this bill before it hits the governor’s desk, where it will almost certainly be signed into law.
Knowing that Ten Commandments displays in public schools violate the law, legislators are including a provision that purports to remove all liability from school districts, administrators, and board members from legal “damages” resulting from putting these displays up. This provision is misleading, as schools could still be subject to injunctions that would lead to the school paying for legal fees, and schools would still be subject to legal liability under federal law.
The Supreme Court has ruled that Ten Commandments 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 Commandments 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 SB 2308. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
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