Liz Hayes
Associate Vice President of Communications
[email protected]
“We appreciate the difficulty that these public health orders pose for all of us, including those who find solace in religious services during such challenging times,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United. “But this virus doesn’t discriminate – it endangers people whether they gather for religious or secular purposes, and it puts entire communities at risk."
"Ensuring children have safe homes with loving families must be the number one priority for foster care agencies. That’s why no taxpayer-funded agency should be able to turn away qualified parents because they are the ‘wrong’ religion or LGBTQ," said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United.
“Our country promises religious freedom for everyone, including people who are incarcerated. That means jails and prisons must provide equal opportunities for all prisoners to practice their faith,” said Alex Luchenitser, associate legal director at Americans United.
“This settlement protects the religious freedom of everyone in Brevard County," said Alex J. Luchenitser, associate legal director of Americans United and lead counsel in the case. "No one should be excluded from participating in local government because of their beliefs about religion."
“Our government officials would be wise to steer clear of the National Prayer Breakfast and recognize it for what it is – the pièce de résistance of The Family’s coordinated campaign to impose a narrow set of religious beliefs onto our shared secular laws," said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United.
“It was un-American when President Trump proposed a Muslim Ban from the campaign trail, it was un-American when he first implemented a Muslim Ban three years ago, and it’s un-American today to expand the Muslim Ban to more countries and cruelly separate even more families," said Rachel Laser, AU's president and CEO. "Engaging in religious discrimination to ban people because of their faith fundamentally violates our country’s constitutional principle of religious freedom.
“Never before has the Supreme Court ruled that states must fund private religious education. It should not do so now,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United. “Forcing taxpayers to fund religious education or private religious schools that discriminate against students, families and employees would be a fundamental violation of religious freedom.
“The Supreme Court should affirm that it is unconstitutional for the Trump administration to misuse religious freedom to block employees’ and students’ access to birth control. Federal courts in Pennsylvania, California and just yesterday in our case in Indiana have ruled against this discriminatory policy," said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United. "As a reminder, the Affordable Care Act guarantees employees and students the right to contraceptive coverage. The religious beliefs of their bosses and university officials cannot deny them this right."
“President Trump isn’t trying to protect religious freedom; he’s pandering to religious extremists who want to inject a narrow set of religious beliefs into our public schools and taxpayer-funded services,” said Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United. "On Religious Freedom Day of all days, we must make clear that religious freedom demands that everyone be free to practice their faith, or no faith at all, but only so long as they don’t harm others. Religious freedom is not a license to grant unparalleled religious privilege.”
“Maine residents should never be forced to support religious education or discrimination,” said Alex J. Luchenitser, associate legal director of Americans United. “Diverting public funds to those uses would violate the religious freedom of taxpayers, parents, and students.”
Democracy, equality, and freedom all depend on the separation of church and state—and they’re all under attack by a billion-dollar Shadow Network of religious extremists and their political allies. To fight back against them, we need you with us! Give today and have your gift matched!
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