Religiously affiliated organizations do not have a religious liberty right to deny their employees birth control coverage in health care plans, Americans United for Separation of Church and State told a congressional panel today. Read more
The Obama administration’s continuing commitment to birth control access is commendable, but powerful religious and political forces are still trying to roll back women’s health care rights, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
The White House announced today that access to birth control will remain an important part of the health care reform plan. But some revisions to the plan will be made to meet the concerns of religiously affiliated institutions. Read more
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today announced that it has settled a lawsuit over school-sponsored religious activity at the Medina Valley Independent School District in Castroville, Texas.
Americans United filed the lawsuit in May 2011 on behalf of Christa and Danny Schultz, and their two sons, Trevor and Corwyn, both of whom recently graduated from Medina Valley High School. Members of the Schultz family are agnostics and opposed official prayers during the graduation ceremony and other religious activities at the school. Read more
A federal appeals court made the right call today in striking down California’s Proposition 8, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
In its Perry v. Brown decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Proposition 8, a measure that withdrew the civil marriage rights of same-sex couples in the state. Read more
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today criticized the House of Representatives for approving two bills promoting the use of religious symbols and prayers at governmental monuments and war memorials.
The House voted to approve H.R. 290, the “War Memorial Protection Act” and H.R. 2070, the “World War II Memorial Prayer Act of 2011.” Both bills are designed to add religious language to monuments or allow sectarian symbols to be used to honor the nation’s war dead. Read more
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today praised the Obama administration for ruling that church-affiliated institutions must abide by provisions in the health care law and include free birth control for employees in insurance plans.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today that religious groups will be given a one-year extension and after that will have to arrange for contraceptive coverage. Read more
The U.S. Supreme Court today announced that it will not intervene in a controversy over sectarian prayer before meetings of the Forsyth County, N.C., Board of Commissioners.
The justices’ action leaves in place an appellate court decision barring the county from regularly opening its meetings with Christian invocations.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, one of the groups sponsoring the lawsuit, said the high court was right not to intervene. Read more
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today expressed disappointment over a Supreme Court decision that affirms the right of religious groups to ignore anti-discrimination laws in some cases.
The high court today handed down a ruling in Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The case dealt with a Michigan religious school that fired a teacher because of a medical condition. Read more
Americans United for Separation of Church and State today hailed a federal appellate court ruling against an Oklahoma constitutional amendment that bars Islamic law in the state.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court’s ruling issuing an injunction blocking implementation of the so-called “Save Our State” amendment. The amendment was approved by 70 percent of Oklahoma voters in 2010, even though there is no drive to impose sharia in the state. Read more
The Florida attorney general’s rewrite of a religion amendment scheduled for the November ballot is disappointing, according to Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
Amendment 7 would repeal provisions in the state constitution that prohibit the use of public funds for religious institutions, yet the language of the ballot measure does not make that fact clear. Legal experts say the measure actually requires the government to fund religious institutions.
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