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Action Alert Archive
Take Urgent Action: Tell your assemblyperson and state senator to repeal Wis. abortion ban
Gov. Tony Evers recently announced a special legislative session to finally overturn Wisconsin’s archaic 1849 law criminalizing abortion. FFRF is requesting you to urge your state representative and senator to vote accordingly.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation’s home state of Wisconsin is one of nine states with an abortion ban that predates Roe v. Wade. The 173-year-old statute, which long antedates reproductive medical advances and even women’s right to vote, will go into immediate effect should the Supreme Court strike down Roe. That 1973 landmark ruling is expected to be repealed, as indicated by Justice Samuel Alito’s leaked draft opinion in May. Wisconsin’s pre-Civil War law criminalizing abortion would fine and imprison for up to six years physicians who perform abortions. As you are aware, the only organized opposition to legal abortion is religious lobbies.
Please contact your state legislators to vote to repeal this bill during this high-stakes special legislative session. If this criminal law goes into effect, it will create chaos, suffering, and inequity and endanger the health, lives and future of Wisconsin women.
Anti-abortion legislators have already vowed to end the special session immediately, without taking any action. We need to apply pressure so that they know Wisconsinites want them to act
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Tell New York’s Education Department to support secular education
The New York Education Department has a public comment period for proposed regulations that would require yeshivas and other private religious schools to provide the equivalent of basic secular education. This proposal would be a significant step toward correcting a severe problem in the state. Yeshiva leaders are mobilizing hundreds of thousands of comments in opposition to the regulations, so FFRF is asking you to help counterbalance that with comments in support.
Please use our automated system to send a comment to the education department no later than Tuesday, May 31, and help push for students to receive the quality of education they are entitled to receive under the law. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most impactful. For best results, be concise and polite.
More »Urge your state senator to bring a nonreligious recovery bill to a vote
A New York bill that would assure access to nonreligious substance abuse recovery programs is on the brink of a Senate vote, but it needs your help to get there. Please take a moment to contact your senator and ask for help for this bill.
Despite multiple assurances to a sponsor of the bill, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins did not include the Nonreligious Recovery Options bill, S 7313A, in the list of substance abuse-related bills that the Senate voted on yesterday.
Currently, individuals with criminal justice involvement account for 47 percent of all treatment admissions to New York state’s Office of Addiction Services and Support. However, the only support groups available for many participants are based on the traditional and faith-based 12-step model. Too often, individuals in the court system are denied access to nonreligious recovery options that are consistent with their values and personal beliefs. This bill requires written notice to a defendant of his or her right to complete court-ordered alcohol or substance use treatment in a nonreligious treatment program.
TAKE ACTION
More »Take action! Urge your rep to support good reproductive health care bill
Please take a moment to contact your representative in the California Assembly and urge a yes vote on AB 2223. This bill would no longer treat stillbirths as “unattended deaths,” requiring a coroner’s investigation.
Sometime soon, the heavily conservative U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decimate the foundation of Roe v. Wade — and the legality of reproductive health care will be largely left up to each state. So bills like this are more important than ever.
Under current law, all fetal deaths at or after 20 weeks, with the exception of abortions, are treated as “unattended deaths” in California, requiring a coroner to investigate. This leads to a whole host of issues, anxiety and pain in women who are already going through a difficult time. At least two women were prosecuted, one for manslaughter and another for murder, after they delivered stillborn babies. In an era of lawmakers controlling pregnant people’s lives to an alarming degree, the last thing we need is parents who lose a pregnancy facing prosecution.
The Religious Right vocally opposes this bill, spreading misinformation that it would legalize infanticide. Lawmakers need to hear reasonable voices to balance out this noise.
Please click on the red “Take Action” link below to email your state representative and urge a yes vote on AB 2223. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most impactful. For best results, be concise and polite.
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Before Monday’s vote, urge your state senator to stop religious expansion bill
Monday afternoon, Louisiana senators will be considering a bill that would carve out broad religious exemptions for churches in the state. Please take a moment to contact your senator and tell them that religious favoritism should not be part of Louisiana law.
HB 953 would play off the original response to Covid emergency policies that applied to churches, but the language of the bill goes much further. It would require the state to regard churches at least as favorably as any secular service or business, in all circumstances.
This tremendously broad language could arguably apply to any law a church does not want to follow for religious reasons. If the law included any secular exemption — for instance, exempting a farm or veterinarian from a law against sacrificing animals — all churches would need to be exempted as well.
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Urge Ohio House committee not to pass anti-trans bill
HB 454 is getting a hearing in the Ohio House Committee on Families, Aging, and Human Services and must be stopped before heading to the full House. The hearing is tomorrow, May 19, so please take a moment to contact them today.
Anti-LGBTQ legislative efforts are rooted in religious dogma. HB 454, like similarly minded bills before it, is an attempt to perpetuate unscientific views about “biological sex,” and removes the right of parents and doctors to do what they think is best for children. The bill explicitly includes puberty blockers, which delay the onset of permanent changes, potentially causing deep harm to transgender youth, and that is only prescribed if a doctor thinks this benefit outweighs any potential risks. And the bill could even apply to social transitioning with medical supervision, e.g., having a trans boy change their appearance to appear more boy-like without any medication or surgery involved.
This is an extreme and cruel bill that would contribute to an already high suicide rate among trans youth, simply to assert lawmakers’ religiously based views of gender. Please contact the Ohio House Committee on Families, Aging, and Human Services and tell the members to stop this bill from getting passed. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most impactful.
More »Please thank Haven City Councilmembers for removing “In God We Trust” from cop cars
The Haven, Kan., City Council voted to remove “In God We Trust” decals from police vehicles last week thanks to a measure introduced by Councilmember Sandra Williams. She emphasized that the police department was an improper place to be having conversations about God.
“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?”
Please take the time to contact the Haven City Councilmembers to thank them for voting to unanimously remove the exclusionary motto from the police cars.
To contact the Haven City Council, the members’ names, emails and phone numbers can be found here.
TALKING POINTS
As a nonreligious Kansan, I want to thank you for standing up for secular government by voting to remove “In God We Trust” decals from Haven police vehicles. Councilmember Sandra Williams was correct in saying that the police department was an inappropriate forum to discuss God. Thank you for standing up for our secular Constitution.
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Take Action: Urge your state rep to stop anti-abortion bill charging women with murder
HB 813, a bill that would completely outlaw abortion and allow women who terminate pregnancies to be charged with murder, is scheduled for a floor debate in the House this Thursday, May 12. Please urge your state representative to stand up against this outrageous bill. It includes explicitly religious language, describing human life as “created in the image of God” and spanning from “fertilization to natural death.”
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, as shown in the leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court on Roe v. Wade.
Please click on the red “Take Action” link below to email your state representative and state senator and urge them to reject HB 813. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most impactful. For best results, be concise and polite.
Take Action! Urge equal access to menstrual products in New York
The New York Senate Education Committee is considering a bill (S 3472) tomorrow, May 10, at 9:45 a.m. that would require all non-public schools, even private Christian schools, to make menstrual products available to students at no cost. Please take a few moments to urge the committee 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, especially in private schools, is a key first step.
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.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
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Take Action! Protect abortion rights, contact your Senators, rally!
In light of the revelations last night that a draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade has the support of a majority of Supreme Court justices, FFRF is asking you to act! Roe v. Wade protects a fundamental right imperiled by religiously motivated politicians and the Supreme Court majority.
Here are immediate steps you can take to flex your secular support for abortion rights.
Contact your U.S. senator now to urge passage of the Women’s Health Protection Act (HR 3755), which has passed the House but is languishing in the Senate. It would codify the protections of Roe v. Wade even if the Supreme Court overturns it, as looks inevitable. Take a moment below to use our automated system to make your voice heard.
It’s vital that candidates, public officials and judges see massive resistance to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Rallies are being called around the nation today at 5 p.m. (your time) in town squares, federal courthouses and buildings. It’s free to sign up at Planned Parenthood’s website to find out what’s happening today or in the future in your community.
Read FFRF’s statement for other constructive ways to act and Barbara Alvarez’s helpful blog on how to speak up.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Take Action! Urge support for Thomas Paine Bill
Your representative in the U.S. House is uniquely positioned to support House Bill 6720, a bill to memorialize America’s “Forgotten Founder” Thomas Paine in Washington, D.C. Please take a moment to urge that.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the co-chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, introduced legislation earlier this year to authorize the construction of a long-overdue D.C. memorial to Paine, noting: “Despite his catalytic role in founding America and our constitutional republic, Paine remains too often on the dark outskirts of history.” It is way past time for Congress to give Paine the central place of respect and awe he deserves in our nation’s capital. The bill has now been referred to the House Natural Resources Committee, and your representative is on it. Without passing this committee, this bill will not reach the House floor.
This noncontroversial bill is one that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle can unite over. Without Paine, the United States of America would not exist. His writings in Common Sense and Crisis made the case for American independence and sparked the American Revolution. To freethinkers he is revered as the author of The Age of Reason, to freedom lovers everywhere for proclaiming “The world is my country” and for working to advance freedom, equality and democracy.
Please take a moment to use our automated system to send a message to your rep. (Feel free to personalize the message or edit as you see fit.)
Read FFRF’s press release about the bill.
Ask state Senate committee to vote against religious motto in S.C. schools
The South Carolina Committee on Education and Public Works is considering a bill tomorrow that would require public schools to display “In God We Trust” in every school across the state. We need your help to ensure that young, impressionable students aren’t subject to religious proselytizing.
SB 969 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 and dismantling the wall between religion and government. The motto “In God We Trust” is inaccurate and exclusionary — aimed at misguiding American schoolchildren into believing that our nation is a theocracy.
Please use our 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. The committee will consider this bill TOMORROW, so please take a moment to contact its members today.
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Tell Congress now: We need a National Day of Reason
Congress has named the first Thursday in May as the “National Day of Prayer,” an unconstitutional law the Freedom From Religion Foundation has litigated but was unable to halt. But now we and you can fight back!
Please take a minute to support landmark legislation calling on Congress to establish this upcoming Wednesday, May 4, as 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 an annual National Day of Reason. Sponsors of prior years’ resolutions include Reps. Jared Huffman, Mark Pocan, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Jerry McNerney and Pramila Jayapal, among the Congressional Freethought Caucus.
The resolution, scheduled to be introduced shortly, recognizes the central importance of reason in the betterment of humanity and makes clear the practical implications of straying from an evidence-based policy.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
More »Urge your reps to stop invocations
A recent invocation by Michigan state Sen. Lana Thies proves that state legislators and other governmental bodies should finally drop the archaic ritual of opening sessions with prayer.
Please urge your state representative and senator to end the ritual of opening with a prayer.
Sen. Theis recently intoned a prayer to open a session that cast aspersions on public schools for affirming gender identity and teaching critical race theory. In an almost QAnonesque manner, she pontificated:
“Dear Lord, across the country we’re seeing in the news that our children are under attack. That there are forces that desire things for them other than what their parents would have them see and hear and know. . . . Dear Lord, I pray for your guidance in this chamber, to protect the most vulnerable among us. Help us to do your will at every step.”
There is a difference between religion and outright hate, but in this instance, Theis is hating in the name of religion, using the unconstitutional ritual of government prayer to promote her hateful brand of Christianity. She was able to use this pandering ritual as a free pass to promote her agenda. And she’s by no means the first legislator or chaplain to do so.
FFRF Co-presidents Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker sent a letter to Michigan leadership urging that they “let Michigan legislators pray (and hate) on their own dime and time,” and stop scheduling governmental prayers.
Read FFRF's press release here.
More »Take action! Tell Rapid City Area Schools Board to stop the prayers
The Rapid City Area Schools Board must end its unconstitutional practice of opening its meetings with prayer.
FFRF is asking you to prod the board to end this unconstitutional practice that it started in October. While allowing local religious leaders to deliver prayers has been found permissible in the context of legislative meetings, multiple courts have made it clear that prayers are impermissible as part of school board meetings.
The Rapid City Area Schools board includes student representative members present at meetings.
Urge board members to keep official prayers out of school board meetings — and to keep school-sponsored religion out of schools.
Read FFRF's letter to the district here.
Contact board members by email and please feel free to use our talking points:
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Talking Points
As a South Dakotan, I am concerned that the board is violating the Constitution by trying to institute prayers at its meetings. The board should respect the rights of all Rapid City area parents, students and the community by not having prayer at its meetings. Thank you.
More »Take Action! Urge Gov. Kemp to veto anti-CRT bill
House Bill 1084 would prohibit schools from teaching any lessons that “advocate for divisive concepts,” with the purpose of stopping discussion about white privilege or racism. The bill also includes anti-trans language that cruelly aims to make the life of trans kids more difficult.
These restrictions will impose a huge burden on teachers and leave children with a narrow education aimed at preserving the white Christian status quo. This, along with the marginalization of trans athletes — which is rooted in archaic gender stereotypes based on a false understanding of strength, biology and the proper gender roles for two binary genders — is why this bill should not be allowed to be signed into law.
Please take a moment to write Gov. Brian Kemp and urge him to veto HB 1084.
More »Say “thank you” to Gov. Evers
Say thank you to Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers for vetoing a bill based on faulty assumptions about immunity to Covid-19 that scientific research has thoroughly refuted.
SB 622 would have allowed “natural immunity” to replace vaccine requirements, even though the evidence is clear that this is less effective. It rested entirely on the flawed assumption that “natural,” infected-induced immunity to SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, is comparable to vaccination. Scientists have measured and compared the two, and have found that vaccines provide far greater immunity.
In written testimony in opposition to SB 622, FFRF Staff Attorney Ryan Jayne argued that “acquiring ‘natural’ immunity by contracting the virus requires one to contract the virus, jeopardizing not only their own health and life but also those of other Wisconsinites by taking up limited space at hospitals amidst a surge in the pandemic.” “In other words,” Jayne wrote, “contracting the virus spreads the virus and exacerbates the pandemic; vaccines do precisely the opposite.”
Please thank Gov. Evers for sticking with science and vetoing SB 622 (feel free to change the talking points for a more personalized message).
More »Say “thank you” to your rep for co-sponsoring Thomas Paine Memorial Resolution
Your member of Congress, Rep. Julia Brownley, is one of the newest co-sponsors of the Thomas Paine Memorial Resolution. The legislation will begin the process of constructing a monument in the District of Columbia in honor of Thomas Paine, an 18th-century freethinker who wrote famous pamphlets such as Common Sense and The Age of Reason.
Please use our automated system to thank Rep. Julia Brownley for taking part in honoring Thomas Paine’s legacy. You can use our suggested talking points, or create your own.
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Take action! Urge Ala. Gov. Ivey to veto extreme anti-LBGT+ bills
Alabama lawmakers recently passed legislation outlawing gender-affirming care for kids, as well as a copycat “Don’t Say Gay” bill tacked on to an anti-trans bathroom bill.
SB 184 would make it a felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison, for a doctor to prescribe puberty blockers or hormones to aid in the gender transition of people under age 19. HB 322 would “prohibit classroom instruction or discussion on sexual orientation or gender identity” for students in K-5, going even further than Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which applied to K-3 grades.
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. These bills, like those before them, are an attempt to perpetuate unscientific views about “biological sex” and to baselessly paint transgender students as predators.
Please urge Gov. Kay Ivey to veto these cruel bills. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided. Personalized messages are always the most impactful.
More »Take action to help a Nigerian atheist unjustly sentenced to prison for blasphemy
After more than a year of being held without charges, Nigerian atheist Mubarak Bala has been sentenced to 24 years in prison. His supposed “crime” was expressing his atheism on Facebook.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation has contacted the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria to urge it to take immediate action toward securing Bala’s release from this unjust imprisonment. Please take a moment to join FFRF in putting pressure on the United States to correct this egregious miscarriage of justice.
In theory, Nigeria’s Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and religious freedom. However, certain states in Nigeria have parallel religious courts that criminalize things like blasphemy. Where Bala has been sentenced, in Kano state, blasphemy is potentially punishable by death.
However, Bala was not even in Kano state when he posted the allegedly blasphemous messages on Facebook. He was arrested in his home, taken away from his spouse and six-week-old child, and then transferred to Kano State, where authorities then ignored federal instructions to release him from custody.
Blasphemy is a victimless crime, and this archaic and barbaric prohibition against offending religious sensibilities has no place in a modern, free society. Please take a moment to use our automated system to contact the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria and urge it to help free Bala. You can use our suggested talking points, or write your own. For best effect, be polite and concise.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
More »Say “thank you” to your rep for co-sponsoring Thomas Paine Memorial Resolution
Your member of Congress, Jim Cooper, is one of the newest co-sponsors of the Thomas Paine Memorial Resolution. The legislation will begin the process of constructing a monument in the District of Columbia in honor of Thomas Paine, an 18th-century freethinker who wrote famous pamphlets such as Common Sense and The Age of Reason.
Please use our automated system to thank Rep. Cooper for taking part in honoring Thomas Paine’s legacy. You can use our suggested talking points, or create your own.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly).
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Say “thank you” to your rep for co-sponsoring Thomas Paine Memorial Resolution
Your member of Congress, Jim Cooper, is one of the newest co-sponsors of the Thomas Paine Memorial Resolution. The legislation will begin the process of constructing a monument in the District of Columbia in honor of Thomas Paine, an 18th-century freethinker who wrote famous pamphlets such as Common Sense and The Age of Reason.
Please use our automated system to thank Rep. Cooper for taking part in honoring Thomas Paine’s legacy. You can use our suggested talking points, or create your own.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly).
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Contact Gov. DeSantis today to save abortion rights in Florida
Help protect abortion rights in your state! FFRF is asking you to promptly contact Gov. Ron DeSantis and urge him to veto HB 5, a bill that would ban abortion after 15 weeks.
Such a blatantly religiously influenced bill should not be allowed to take effect. This bill, which is unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade, is similar to the Mississippi ban awaiting an early summer decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. Anti-abortion state legislators are counting on the high court to approve that ban and want to have a similar ban ready to go in Florida.
This law would adversely affect the most vulnerable pregnant people in Florida. Please urge Gov. DeSantis to stand up for reproductive health care rights by vetoing this ban.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
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Contact your state rep and senator today to save abortion rights
Help protect abortion rights in your state!
FFRF is asking you to promptly contact your state senator and representative to tell them not to override Gov. Andy Beshear’s likely veto on HB 3, a bill that has already passed the state Senate and House and would ban abortion after 15 weeks, along with a host of other anti-abortion provisions.
Such a blatantly religiously influenced bill should not be allowed to take effect.
This bill, which is unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade, is similar to the Mississippi ban awaiting an early summer decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. Anti-abortion state legislators are counting on the high court to approve that ban and want to have a similar ban ready to go in Kentucky.
This law would adversely affect the most vulnerable pregnant people in Kentucky. Please urge your state rep and senator to stand up for reproductive rights by voting against this ban.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted on Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
More »Tell Okla. gov to veto anti-trans bill
Senate Bill 2, which is currently being sent to Gov. Kevin Stitt, would reprehensibly ban trans women and girls from participating in women’s athletics.
The marginalization of trans athletes is rooted in archaic gender stereotypes based on a false understanding of strength, biology, and the proper gender roles for two binary genders. There is a long legacy of this troubling sex discrimination in athletics. Myths, such as the idea that physical exertion would harm women’s reproductive systems or that women were inherently inferior athletes, were historically used to “protect” women from participation in entire fields, including marathon racing and contact sports. These myths, of course, are closely tied to the long history of organized religion treating women as inherently inferior to men.
Two Republican governors, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoed similar anti-trans sports bans earlier this week, rejecting discriminatory bills approved by their legislatures. Please take a moment to tell Gov. Stitt to do the same in Oklahoma.
More »Tell your state senator to support nonreligious recovery bill
The New York Assembly has recently passed A 8163/S 7313, a bill that expands treatment options for New Yorkers in the criminal justice system. If enacted, this legislation would ensure that all individuals who are mandated to attend recovery support programs are provided with secular options.
Currently, individuals with criminal justice involvement account for 47 percent of all treatment admissions to New York State’s Office of Addiction Services and Support. However, the only support groups available for many participants are based on the traditional and faith-based 12-step model. Too often, individuals in the court system are denied access to nonreligious recovery options that are consistent with their values and personal beliefs.
Please urge your senator to pass this important bill and give treatment options to people regardless of their faith or lack thereof.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
More »Tell Ariz. Gov. to veto anti-trans bill
Senate Bill 1165, which is currently being sent to Gov. Doug Ducey, would reprehensibly ban trans women from participating in women’s athletics.
The marginalization of trans athletes is rooted in archaic gender stereotypes based on a false understanding of strength, biology, and the proper gender roles for two binary genders. There is a long legacy of this troubling sex discrimination in athletics. Myths, such as the idea that physical exertion would harm women’s reproductive systems or that women were inherently inferior athletes, were historically used to “protect” women from participation in entire fields, including marathon racing and contact sports. These myths, of course, are closely tied to the long history of organized religion treating women as inherently inferior to men.
Two Republican governors, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, vetoed similar anti-trans sports bans earlier this week, rejecting discriminatory bills approved by their legislatures. Please take a moment to tell Gov. Ducey to do the same in Arizona.
Photo Credit: Michael Moloney / Shutterstock
More »Take Action! Support resolution against prayer at Dane Co. Board meeting Thursday
Please help FFRF chime in against pre-meeting prayer that’s an official part of the Dane County Board of Supervisors meetings!
The board’s executive virtual committee will consider a resolution against meeting prayers on Thursday, March 24, at 6:30 p.m. (The final vote will take place after the April 5 election.).
Support the resolution by Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner, 2nd District, to delete a reference to prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance (with its “under God” wording) from the board’s regular agenda. Prayer is divisive!
See directions for the Zoom meeting and how to register on behalf of Wegleitner’s resolution or to speak on its behalf.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation got its original start when Anne and Annie Laurie Gaylor addressed the county board and city council in Madison, asking them to stop praying. After a year, the city council dropped prayer, and the board went to a rotating “inspirational message” — left to the individual supervisor. Somehow over the years, “prayer” has crept back in the rules.
Read this Wisconsin State Journal article for more background.
Please plan to register, speak, and/or send an email to the Executive Committee.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
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Ask the Tenn. Senate Education Committee to oppose SB 1216
SB 1216 is a cruel bill that would demonize LGBTQ people and add more suffering to an already marginalized group of people. This “Don’t say gay” copycat bill would prohibit state textbooks and instructional materials that promote, normalize, support, or address lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender issues or lifestyles.
The Senate Education Committee is holding the hearing on the bill TOMORROW, Wednesday, March 23, at 1 p.m. Central, so please take the time to get in touch with committee members before then.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Click the "Take Action" button now to participate.
More »Take action! Ask Vt. House committee to make menstrual products tax-exempt
Please contact Vermont’s House Committee on Ways and Means to urge support for S 53, a bill that would make menstrual products, such as tampons and pads, tax-exempt.
The committee is meeting on Tuesday at noon, so please take the time to get in touch with committee members before then.
Menstrual products in Vermont and across the country are currently labeled as “luxury goods,” thus enabling the taxation of menstrual products as nonessential items. This is demonstrably untrue.
Major religions across the world contribute to the culture of shame and health inequality by treating menstruation as a taboo topic. Texts and rituals from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism describe menstruation as impure and that women who are menstruating should be avoided, asserting that women cannot enter temples or their kitchens. They further contend that women should sleep during the day, speak softly, not touch others, and receive special blessings at the culmination of their period.
Please spare a moment to urge the committee to pass S 53 to make menstrual products tax-exempt.
Talking Points
Please vote to pass S 53 to make menstrual products tax-exempt.
Making menstrual products tax-free is an important step toward destigmatizing menstruation and pushing back against religious shame. These products are essential items and should be treated that way. Thank you for your time.
More »Tell Idaho gov you’ll boycott potatoes if he signs abortion ban
Please join FFRF in taking a moment right now to pressure Idaho Gov. Brad Little to veto the draconian abortion ban just passed by the Idaho legislature. It’s a copycat of Texas’ SB8, which bans abortion at six weeks (before most women realize they are pregnant) and deputizes individuals to sue anyone who “aids or abets” in such an abortion.
We secular Americans who value reproductive freedom and the separation between religion and government need to do more than wring our hands over the tsunami of anti-liberty state legislation being passed. Join FFRF, organizations and individuals who are threatening a boycott of Idaho potatoes — Idaho’s biggest cash drop — unless Little vetoes this bill.
FFRF is asking you to tell Gov. Brad Little you will boycott Idaho potatoes unless he vetoes this bad bill.
Please take a minute right now, before Little has a chance to sign this bill into law, to use FFRF’s handy automated action alert system to send a message to Little.
Read FFRF’s full statement here.
Feel free to edit or change talking points as needed.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and full address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
More »Tell Gov. Little to veto unconstitutional abortion ban
Senate Bill 1309, which passed the Idaho Legislature yesterday, would bar abortions before most individuals even realize they are pregnant. It is unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade. It denies pregnant persons bodily autonomy and it is based on a cruel law that has caused chaos and disruption to millions of Texas women.
This copycat bill even one-ups the Texas ban by increasing the bounty penalty from $10,000 to $20,000. The fate of many Idahoan women rests on whether SB 1309 gets vetoed, so FFRF is asking you to tell Gov. Brad Little not to let it happen. There has never been a more dire need for the advocacy of reproductive rights. And, by the way, a boycott of Idaho potatoes is being threatened if Little signs this into law, which would greatly harm Idahoans — yet another important reason for him to veto this bad bill. Please don’t delay in contacting your governor and getting out the word.
Read FFRF’s full statement here.
Feel free to edit or change talking points as needed.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Talking Points
I am urging you to veto SB 1309, the near-total abortion ban. This callous attack on abortion rights will endanger the lives and safety of women in Idaho, and it is critical to me as a voter that you stop it in its tracks. With more than 60 percent of Americans opposing the overturn of Roe v. Wade, any bill aiming to restrict Roe is inconsistent with American values. Also, the last thing our state economy needs is a boycott on Idaho potatoes, which is being threatened if you sign this bill into law.
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Urge Ala. Senate committee not to pass anti-trans bill
HB 322 is currently in the Alabama Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs and must be stopped before heading to the full Senate.
This bill is deceitfully described as being crafted “to require public K-12 schools to designate the use of rooms where students may be in various stages of undress upon the basis of biological sex.” In reality, this bill is another transgender bathroom bill — a favorite of the inflammatory Religious Right. If signed into law, this bill would require the “physical condition of being male or female as stated on the individual’s birth certificate” to match the bathrooms and locker rooms used by the student, compelling trans male students to use the female facilities and trans females to use the male facilities.
Anti-LGBTQ legislative efforts are rooted in religious dogma. HB 322, like similarly minded bills before it, is an attempt to perpetuate unscientific views about "biological sex" and to baselessly paint transgender students as predators.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Talking Points
As an Alabaman voter, I strongly urge you to vote “no” on HB 322, a bill that would endanger the safety and well-being of trans students in Alabama. This bill does nothing to address actual issues of bullying or discrimination in schools but instead scapegoats trans youth as predators to placate a vocal and inflammatory anti-LGBTQ minority.
Please oppose HB 322. Thank you for your time.
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URGENT! Take action today to stop Arizona religious exemption bill!
On Monday, March 14, the Arizona Senate Government Committee will consider a bill that would carve out broad religious exemptions for churches in the state. Please take a moment to contact the committee and tell its members that religious favoritism should not be part of Arizona law.
HB 2507 is ostensibly a response to Covid emergency policies that applied to churches, but the language of the bill goes much further. It would prohibit the state from taking any “discriminatory action” against churches, which the bill defines as “any direct or indirect act or practice that adversely affects a religious organization.”
This tremendously broad language could arguably apply to any law a church does not want to follow for religious reasons. If the state enforces such a law, the church would be able to sue the state and recover costs and attorney fees from taxpayers, in addition to not having to comply with the law. The result is that the state will tend to look the other way when churches say they don’t want to follow the law.
It is already very difficult for the state to hold churches accountable for misconduct. Please take action to oppose this effort to make it even more difficult. The committee is meeting on Monday, so please take a moment to contact them today. You can use our automated system to contact the committee with just a few clicks.
Talking Points
Hello, as an Arizona resident and taxpayer I urge you to oppose HB 2507 at Monday’s hearing.
This bill is a tremendously broad liability shield for churches, going far beyond the emergency order concerns that gave rise to it. The bill defines “discriminatory action” in such sweeping terms that churches will be able to argue that they are entitled to an exemption from any laws they don’t want to follow for any reason, just by claiming “religious exercise.”
It is already very difficult for the state to hold churches accountable for misconduct, and this bill would make that problem worse for no good reason. Please vote “no” on HB 2507. Thank you for your time and consideration.
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Ask your OK state senator to vote “NO” on string of anti-abortion laws
The Oklahoma Senate is considering a slew of dangerous anti-choice bills that would almost completely shut down access to comprehensive reproductive health care in the state. We need you to speak out against these extremist proposals.
The bills include Senate Bill 1503, a Texas-style abortion ban that prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat, or six weeks. SJR 37 would amend the state Constitution to say that it does not provide a right to abortion. SB 1555 is an update to the “trigger” law that would outlaw abortion if the U.S. Supreme Court repeals Roe, even “in part.” And SB 1553 disallows abortion 30 days prior to the probable start of the last period, effectively banning all abortions from the moment someone knows they are pregnant. These bills have all been passed by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
With the Supreme Court considering an overturn of Roe v. Wade, it is more important than ever that we preserve reproductive rights at the state level. Please urge your state senator to vote “NO” on all of these reprehensible bills.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Click on “Take Action” to FFRF's new Action Center. Once you sign in, click “Ask your Okla. state senator to vote “NO” on string of anti-abortion laws” on the left.
Talking Points
As an Oklahoma voter, I urge you to vote no on SB 1503, SJR 37, SB 1552 and SB 1553, which would wholly strip abortion rights from Oklahomans.
This is an egregious attempt to restrict access to comprehensive health care, and restricting such access will unquestionably threaten the health and safety of women in Oklahoma. Additionally, with more than 70 percent of Americans opposing the overturn of Roe v. Wade, any attempt to limit abortion access is inconsistent with American values. Please vote “no” on these bills. Thank you for your time.
More »Ask your state senator to push back on restrictive education!
Indiana House Bill 1134 would prohibit schools from suggesting students should feel any “discomfort” on account of their race, with the purpose of stopping discussion about white privilege or racism.
It would also require schools to post every material used in every lesson, delineated by the teacher, on the school’s website. This includes not only textbooks but also every internet video, lesson packet, PowerPoint presentation, etc. This would be a massive burden on already overworked teachers and would invite parents to sift through the voluminous material to complain about something they think might make their child feel “uncomfortable,” whitewashing curricula and chilling teacher speech.
These restrictions will impose a huge burden on teachers and leave children with a narrow education aimed at preserving the white Christian status quo. The bill should not be allowed to pass.
Please take a moment to write to your state senator and urge a “no” vote on HB 1134.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Click on “Take Action” to FFRF's new Action Center. Once you sign in, click “Ask your state senator to push back on restrictive education!” on the left.
Talking Points
As your secular constituent, I’m concerned about HB 1134 and its effects on comprehensive education. This bill would be a massive burden for already overworked teachers and would interfere with their ability to deliver factual, evidence-based lessons to students. Actual Critical Race Theory is not being taught in Indiana public schools, and this bill is a thinly veiled attempt to ban real critical thinking.
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Oppose making the bible the state book of Oklahoma
An unconstitutional resolution is being considered by the Oklahoma House of Representatives that would designate the bible the official state book of Oklahoma. This outrageous bill has already passed a House committee and needs to be stopped now! Please take action against this unconstitutional move by zealous legislators to force Christianity upon Oklahoma citizens regardless of their religious — or nonreligious — preferences.
The proposed bill, HB 3890, is both illegal and fiscally irresponsible, as it would almost certainly result in a preventable lawsuit that would cost state taxpayers dearly.
Religious faith is a matter of private conscience, not state endorsement. The bible is rife with violence, misogyny, homophobia, genocide, slavery and intolerance of nonbelievers; it has no place as the state book of Oklahoma. Please take a moment to tell your state representative to oppose this bill.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Click on “Take Action” to FFRF's new Action Center. Once you sign in, click “Oppose making the bible the state book of Oklahoma” on the left.
Talking Points
As an Oklahoman, I urge you to oppose HB 3890, the proposal to make the “Holy Bible” the state book of Oklahoma. This bill violates the freedom of conscience of every Oklahoma resident by unconstitutionally endorsing religion, placing the state’s stamp of endorsement on one particular religion’s holy book. If passed, this bill would open up the state to significant legal liability when an inevitable lawsuit is filed. Please honor the constitutional freedoms of Oklahomans and spare Oklahoma taxpayers the burden of this irresponsible proposal. Please vote “no” on HB 3890. Thank you for your time.
More »URGENT! Please ask your state senator to vote “NO” on HB 1557
Florida’s HB 1557, or the “Don’t say gay” bill, would prohibit classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity and require a teacher to effectively “out” students to their parents. This is a cruel bill that would demonize LGBTQ people and add more suffering to an already marginalized group of people.Gov. Ron DeSantis recently indicated his support for this bill, saying that it’s about protecting children from “grooming,” as though all LGBTQ people were pedophiles. With his open hostility, the Florida Senate is the last chance to stop this bill.
The Senate is already meeting and could vote on this bill at any moment. Please take a moment to email your state senator right away!
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Click on “Take Action” to FFRF's new Action Center. Once you sign in, click “URGENT! Please ask your state senator to vote ‘NO’ on HB 1557” on the left.
TALKING POINTS
As your constituent, I’m writing to urgently ask you to vote against HB 1557, the “Don’t say gay” bill. The last thing LGBTQ Floridians need is for our public schools to deny their existence. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ recent comments about the bill confirm that the motivation behind HB 1557 is to demonize LGBTQ people, not parental rights or anything else. This bill would do massive harm. Please stand up for all Floridians by opposing it.
More »Urge the Senate Medical Affairs Committee to vote “no” on SC SB 0811
Please take a moment to help stop a dangerous South Carolina bill that has a hearing this week.
This medical religious refusal bill, or the “Medical Ethics and Diversity Act,” would allow licensed health care workers (such as doctors and nurses) and health care payers (employers paying for health insurance) to refuse to participate in any health care they claim to have a religious objection to. This would allow, for instance, nurses or doctors to deny gender-affirming health care or employers to refuse to pay for contraceptives — and much more.
It is completely unacceptable for a doctor to deny life-saving treatment based on his or her religious beliefs, and this dangerous bill discriminates heavily against women and LGBTQ individuals in particular.
The Senate Medical Affairs Committee is considering this bill on Thursday, March 3, so please take action today!
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Click on “Take Action” to access FFRF’s new Action Center. Once you sign in, click “Urge the Senate Medical Affairs Committee to vote “no” on SC SB 0811.”
Talking Points
I strongly urge you to vote “no” on SB 0811, which would allow widespread discrimination in health care based on religious beliefs. If passed, this will exacerbate existing inequalities by emboldening health care providers to deny care to patients who are already vulnerable in the health care system, including women and LGBTQ individuals. This is unacceptable. Please oppose SB 0811. Thank you for your time.
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Take action! Ask Senate to vote YES to ensure Roe stays
Please urge your senators to vote ”yes” on Monday, Feb. 28, for the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA).
The Senate must act now to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act. The act, which has passed the House, will codify the protections in Roe v. Wade regardless of what the Supreme Court does. It would also render unenforceable the many medically unnecessary and burdensome restrictions against abortion passed by various state legislatures.
Take a moment and ask your senators to pass the WHPA. The rights and 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.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Click on "Take Action" to FFRF's new Action Center. Once you sign in, click "Take action! Ask Senate to vote YES to ensure Roe stays."
Talking Points
As your constituent, I urge you to vote in favor of the Women’s Health Protection Act to codify the provisions of Roe. With the endangerment of Roe v. Wade., keeping abortion legally available nationwide and ensuring the basic rights of reproductive privacy and self-determination is more important than ever. The shocking enactment of an unconstitutional abortion ban in Texas and across the country, with the Supreme Court refusing to intervene, is a wake-up call that immediate action is required to protect access to safe and legal abortion nationwide.
More »Tell Osceola County School Board official prayer is STILL wrong
The Osceola County School Board recently ended its unconstitutional practice of opening its meetings with prayer. However, it’s considering a proposal on Tuesday, March 8, to reinstate the prayers.
FFRF is asking you to prod the members to stand by their decision to end this unconstitutional practice. While allowing local religious leaders to deliver prayers has been found permissible in the context of legislative meetings, multiple courts have made it clear that prayers are impermissible as part of school board meetings.
Urge Osceola county school board members to keep official prayers out of school board meetings and keep school-sponsored religion out of schools.
Read FFRF’s letter to the district here.
Contact board members by their email and please feel free to use our talking points:
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Talking Points
As an Osceola County community resident, I am concerned that the board is violating the Constitution by trying to continue instituting prayers at its meetings. I believe you made the right decision when ending the divisive practice. The board should stand by its decision and respect the rights of all Osceola County parents, students and community by not reinstating prayer at its meetings. Thank you.
More »Contact your representative today to save abortion rights in Ariz.
Help protect abortion rights in your state! FFRF is asking you to promptly contact your Statehouse representative to vote against SB 1146, a bill that has already passed the state senate and would ban abortion after 15 weeks.
Such a blatantly religiously influenced bill should not be allowed to proceed and take effect.
This bill, which is unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade, is similar to the Mississippi ban awaiting an early summer decision by the Supreme Court. Anti-abortion state legislators are counting on the high court to approve that ban and want to have a similar ban ready to go in Arizona. The bill has already passed the Arizona Senate, and Gov. Doug Ducey is ardently anti-abortion, so the Arizona House is the last chance to stop it.
This law would adversely affect the most vulnerable pregnant people in Arizona. Please urge your rep to stand up for reproductive health care rights by voting against this ban.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.).
Click on "Take Action" to FFRF's new Action Center. Once you sign in, click "Contact your representative today to save abortion rights in Ariz." on the left.
Talking Points
As your constituent, I am urging you to vote “no” on SB 1146, a bill to ban abortion care at 15 weeks. This callous attack on abortion rights will endanger the lives and safety of women in Arizona, and it is critical to me as a voter that you stop it in its tracks. 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 »
Contact your state senator today to save abortion rights in W.Va.
FFRF is asking you to quickly contact and urge your state senator to vote against HB 4004, a bill that would ban abortion after 15 weeks.
Such a blatantly religiously influenced bill should not be allowed to proceed and take effect.
This bill, which is unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade, is similar to the Mississippi ban awaiting an early summer decision by the Supreme Court. With the bill already passed in the House, now is the last chance to stop this outrageous infringement.
This law would affect the most vulnerable people in West Virginia. Please urge your state senator to stand up for constitutionally protected reproductive health care rights by voting against this bill before anti-choice Gov. Jim Justice passes it.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Click on "Take Action" to FFRF's new Action Center. Once you sign in, click "Contact your state senator today to save abortion rights in W.Va." on the left.
Talking Points
As your constituent, I am urging you to vote “no” on HB 4004, a ban on abortion at 15 weeks. This callous attack on abortion rights will endanger the lives and safety of women in West Virginia, and it is critical to me as a voter that you stop it in its tracks. 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 »Contact your state senator today to save abortion rights in Fla.
FFRF is asking you to quickly ask your state senator to vote against HB 5, a bill that would ban abortion after 15 weeks.
Such a blatantly religiously influenced bill should not be allowed to proceed and take effect.
This bill, which is unconstitutional under Roe v. Wade, is similar to the Mississippi ban awaiting an early summer decision by the Supreme Court. The bill has already passed the Florida House, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has signaled his support for it, so the Senate is our last chance to stop it.
This law would affect the most vulnerable people in Florida. Please urge your state senator to stand up for constitutionally protected reproductive healthcare rights by voting against this bill.
If you have not previously signed up for action alerts using FFRF’s new system, which debuted Feb. 3, 2022, there is a one-time requirement to fill in your name, email and address. Then our system will remember you and connect you to the correct governmental offices. (If you move addresses, please update this information accordingly.)
Click on "Take Action" to FFRF's new Action Center. Once you sign in, click "Contact your state senator today to save abortion rights in Fla." on the left.
More »Take Action! Urge your state senator to vote against discriminatory RFRA bill.
An Iowa Senate committee has approved a bill that would drastically expand religious privilege in the state.
The bill, SF 2284, is a state version of the federal law called RFRA, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This discriminatory bill died last year, but we need your help to make sure it doesn’t become law this year.
The federal RFRA law is directly responsible for the U.S. Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby debacle, allowing religious business owners to avoid following laws that they claim conflict with their religious beliefs. State RFRAs, based on the federal version, are emboldening corporations and business owners to discriminate against LGBTQ people, religious minorities, the nonreligious — and any other group their religion declares inferior.
The Iowa Senate will soon consider this dangerous measure. Please use our automated system to contact your state senator and tell them to oppose SF 2284. Feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
Talking Points
Please oppose SF 2284 (previously SF 2170), which is a state RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act). The federal RFRA law is directly responsible for the U.S. Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby debacle, allowing religious business owners to avoid following laws that they say conflict with their religious beliefs. State RFRAs, based on the federal version, embolden corporations and business owners to discriminate against LGBTQ people, religious minorities, the nonreligious and any other group their religion declares inferior.
Despite their name, RFRAs are bad for religious freedom, allowing discrimination against religious minorities. Other states that have passed RFRAs have reeled from the economic blowback as major companies and grassroots organizers alike have pushed for statewide boycotts based on the discriminatory rule. This was perhaps most memorably seen in Indiana, when then-Gov. Mike Pence signed the bill into law and the backlash was so severe that he scrambled to “fix” the bill, leaving discriminatory evangelicals feeling betrayed. Indiana would have been far better off if it had never passed the bill. Thank you for opposing this discriminatory bill.
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Take action! Urge your state senator to vote against discriminatory bill
Arizona Senate Bill 1399 has passed through a committee and will soon be voted on by the state Senate. It would allow adoption and foster care agencies to discriminate on the basis of religion. They could, for example, refuse to work with parents or children based on their race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity.
Please take some time to reach out to your senator and urge a negative vote on this religious bigotry.
Handing religious groups a ticket to discriminate against LGBTQ families seeking adoption or foster care is morally reprehensible and inimical to the well-being of the hundreds of thousands of children currently in the foster care system. This comes on the heels of the Supreme Court decision, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, which allowed a Catholic agency to discriminate against same-sex couples. Recently, another agency cited this case in refusing to work with Jewish families.
Ultimately, the health and care of a child should be the only factor that a child welfare agency and its employees take into consideration — not advancing the bigoted agendas of state contractors promoting discriminatory dogma at the expense of children in need.
Talking Points
As your secular constituent, I am urging you to vote no on AZ SB 1399. This bill would make it legal for adoption or foster agencies to discriminate on the basis of religion. It would adversely affect LGBT families and religious minorities looking to adopt or foster, for example.
Denying a child a home based on someone else’s religious agenda is morally reprehensible and discriminatory, and should never be supported by state funding. Please vote “no” on SB 1399.
More »TAKE ACTION: Ask Congress to support Thomas Paine memorial bill HR 6720
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Please ask your member of Congress to support a just-introduced HR 6720, a bill to memorialize America’s “forgotten Founder” Thomas Paine in Washington, D.C.
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, co-chair of the Congressional Freethought Caucus, introduced legislation today to authorize the construction of a long-overdue D.C. memorial to Paine, noting: “Despite his catalytic role in founding America and our constitutional republic, Paine remains too often on the dark outskirts of history. It is way past time for Congress to give Paine the central place of respect and awe he deserves in our nation’s capital."
This noncontroversial bill is one that members of Congress on both sides of the aisle can unite over. Without Paine, the United States of America would not exist. His writings in Common Sense and Crisis made the case for American independence and sparked the American Revolution. To freethinkers he is revered as the author of The Age of Reason, to freedom lovers everywhere for proclaiming “The world is my country” and for working to advance freedom, equality and democracy.
Please take a moment to use our automated system to send a message to your members of Congress today. (Feel free to personalize the message or edit as you wish.)
Read FFRF’s press release about the bill.
Talking Points
As your constituent, I am asking for your support and co-sponsorship of a new congressional bill to approve a memorial in Washington, D.C., for “forgotten Founder” Thomas Paine. The bill to memorialize patriot and Revolutionary War veteran Thomas Paine is one that every American and member of Congress can unite behind. Paine’s very words in Common Sense and the Crisis papers sparked and nurtured the Revolutionary War. A visionary of modern democracy, liberty and justice, Paine embodied the words in our Declaration of Independence. It is past overdue to recognize him with a D.C. memorial. May I count on your office to co-sponsor the bill to approve a Thomas Paine Memorial? Public funds will not be utilized.
New System and National Prayer Breakfast
FFRF is excited to announce a new and improved system to make it easy for you to take action to fight for state/church separation!
Keep an eye on your email for upcoming details, but if you want to try the new system out, click the link below and enter your name, email, and address so that our new system can connect you with the right offices. The National Prayer Breakfast took place today and we're asking you to contact your federal reps to thank them for skipping it, or else to shake your finger at them if they did go.
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Tell your member of Congress to stop supporting the National Prayer Breakfast
Please help FFRF oppose congressional participation in the upcoming 70th National Prayer Breakfast, scheduled to take place next week, Thursday, Feb. 3. FFRF has had success in discouraging members of Congress from attending, and we need your continued help to educate Congress.
This private event, which sounds like an official governmental function, is run by a shadowy religious group known as The Family, and is a hotspot for Christian nationalists and theocrats, anti-LGBTQ bigotry and influence-peddling. Born in opposition to the New Deal in the height of the Red Scare, it has been mired in scandal after scandal, including the FBI’s arrest of a Russian agent with ties to Vladimir Putin. Rev. Franklin Graham is the primary financial backer of the event, and he admitted the entire point of the shindig is for people to purchase access to Congress under the guise of prayer: “They’re wanting to be able to rub elbows with somebody that they normally couldn’t rub elbows with.”
Read more about FFRF’s opposition to the National Prayer Breakfast here.
Press the "Take Action" button below to contact your representative and feel free to use our suggested talking points.
As your constituent and as a secular American, I urge you not to sponsor or attend the National Prayer Breakfast, which is run by a shadowy religious group known as The Family.
Red flags include attendance by Russian operatives, deliberate influence-peddling and anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. Members of Congress who attend may assume the event is merely a solemn religious breakfast, but are in fact lending endorsement and credence to an unsavory organization that is exploiting their support. There are hundreds of houses of worship within walking distance of our great Capitol, and you and your fellow members can enjoy fellowship and prayer without associating with this troubling group.
More »Take action! Ask Senate to ensure Roe has a 50th anniversary
Tomorrow, Jan. 22, will mark the 49th anniversary of the landmark decision, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide and ensured the basic rights of reproductive privacy and self-determination.
With the Supreme Court, for underlying religious reasons, poised to overturn or negate Roe later this year, the Senate must act now to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act. The act, which has passed the House, will codify the protections in Roe regardless of what the high court does. It would also render unenforceable the many medically unnecessary and burdensome restrictions against abortion passed by various state legislatures.
Please take a moment to ask your senators to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act. 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
Jan. 22 marks the 49th anniversary of the landmark decision, Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide and ensured the basic rights of reproductive privacy and self-determination. It is now endangered. Please vote in favor of the Women’s Health Protection Act to codify the provisions of Roe. The shocking enactment of an unconstitutional abortion ban in Texas and across the country, with the Supreme Court refusing to intervene, is a wake-up call that immediate action is required to protect access to safe and legal abortion nationwide.
More »