The Freedom From Religion Foundation is thrilled that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking proactive steps to counter the incoming Trump administration’s Christian nationalist agenda.
Newsom has called the Legislature to a special session beginning Dec. 2. In his announcement, Newsom said, “The freedoms we hold dear in California are under attack — and we won’t sit idle.” Among the agenda items to be addressed in the special session is the “assault on reproductive freedoms by limiting access to medication abortion, expanding conscience objections for employers and providers, and pursuing a national abortion ban.” With the goal in mind of preserving essential freedoms like reproductive autonomy, the Legislature will explore expanding funding for the state’s Department of Justice so that it can be ready to litigate any encroachments on rights that the Trump administration brings forth.
Although it has only been a week since the election, a lot has already been put into motion on the federal level. President-elect Trump seems determined to uphold the nefarious promises he made to the powers that propped him up to a second presidency. For example, he has named Stephen Miller, the infamous xenophobic troll, as his deputy chief of staff. Miller’s role in the administration seems to signal that Trump will do his best to carry out his mass deportation promise. Trump’s draconian action on immigration policy surely isn’t the only promise he will keep. His allies and financial backers demand so much more during his final term in office, and they will undoubtedly press Trump to deliver on the favors he owes to them. He certainly delivered when he promised to overhaul the Supreme Court.
While the immediate future may look bleak if you’re a fan of our secular democracy — or even just a proponent of decency — by calling a special session to address the perils ahead, Newsom is taking matters seriously. By addressing some of the issues that have been in a limbo status — reproductive freedom, public education and true religious liberties, to name a few — California has made it clear that it will not stand on the sidelines while Trump and the rest of his allies carry on with an all-out assault on true American values. Project 2025 told us the game plan, and we ought to believe that the folks who crafted the blueprint are going to stick to it.
FFRF encourages other governors and legislatures around the country to follow California’s lead and call a special session to get in front of the dangers that lie ahead. States should act now and enact substantive legislation that can guard against the threat of the incoming administration.
“I’m encouraged to see that California has decided to step up and convene a special session in the wake of a second Trump presidency,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “Through Project 2025, we know exactly what Trump and his allies seek to accomplish. I really hope states follow California’s signal in preemptively tackling these challenges.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with 40,000 members and several chapters across the country, including over 5,000 members and two chapters in California. Its purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.
