Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser issued the following statement today in response to the Senate’s failure to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA):
“The Senate’s failure to protect nationwide abortion access undermines both reproductive and religious freedom. The right to an abortion is a civil and human right that is essential to our health, equality and freedom. You can’t have reproductive freedom without religious freedom and vice versa. Everyone deserves the freedom to make their own decisions according to their own beliefs and principles.
“The hundreds of state-level laws restricting and banning abortion are an attack on religious freedom. Religious extremists and their lawmaker allies are trying to force all of us to live by their narrow beliefs. These bans also exacerbate inequalities in our communities and in our country, particularly for Black people, indigenous people and other people of color.
“The foundational principle of separation of church and state safeguards our right to live as ourselves and believe as we choose. That includes making personal decisions that also have serious medical implications free from discrimination and political interference. We will continue to fight for nationwide abortion access because reproductive freedom is religious freedom.”
Americans United is a religious freedom advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, AU educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
Press Contact
Liz Hayes
Associate Vice President of Communications
[email protected]
