I didn’t see this on the Rec List... and I do not mean to be dramatic, but this is one of the bigger stories emerging today. It is major news, bad news, for LGBT Americans, for reproductive freedom in America, for the separation of church and state, and more. In essence, the order legalizes a sweeping array of religion-based discrimination, and it attempts to do so on the national, federal level.
Sarah Posner at The Nation has a credible source who shared a draft of the forthcoming Religious Freedom Order. The key points from Posner’s piece:
- “The draft Order construes religious organizations so broadly that it covers ‘any organization, including closely held for-profit corporations,’ and protects ‘religious freedom’ in every walk of life: ‘when providing social services, education, or healthcare; earning a living, seeking a job, or employing others; receiving government grants or contracts; or otherwise participating in the marketplace, the public square, or interfacing with Federal, State or local governments.’”
- “It seeks to create wholesale exemptions for people and organizations who claim religious or moral objections to same-sex marriage, premarital sex, abortion, and trans identity.”
- “It seeks to curtail women’s access to contraception and abortion through the Affordable Care Act.”
There is a lot more here — please read and share.