Using Religion to Discriminate

With increasing frequency, individuals and institutions are attempting to claim a right to refuse to provide services or care based on religious objections. For instance, religiously affiliated hospitals could refuse to perform medically necessary abortions for pregnant women in life-threatening situations, or a landlord could refuse to rent to a family simply because they are Muslim. Through litigation, advocacy and public education, the ACLU works to defend religious liberty and protect people of all faiths from religious discrimination. Learn more >>

03/25/2010

Using Religion to Discriminate

Human Trafficking Is Modern-Day Slavery

By Suzanne Ito, ACLU at 6:09pm

Today is the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Susan Rice, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, said in a statement today:

The scourge of modern slavery, including human trafficking, continues to tear at our common humanity and to rip the social fabric of communities around the world.

The international community must redouble its efforts to combat modern slavery and human trafficking by fully implementing existing trafficking laws and prosecuting its perpetrators.

We couldn't agree more, which is why the ACLU is battling human trafficking in the United States on a few different fronts.

06/18/2013

ENDA

Religious Liberty and Inclusion

By Julian Bond, Chairman Emeritus, NAACP at 9:42am

By the mid-1960s, the civil rights movement had made significant cultural, legal and political progress in advancing the cause of racial...

06/13/2012

Using Religion to Discriminate

North Dakotans Reject A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing

By Daniel Mach at 9:38am

Yesterday, voters across North Dakota wisely rejected Measure 3, a proposed amendment to the state constitution that could have undermined crucial health, safety, and civil rights protections in the state. Measure 3, the so-called “Religious Liberty Restoration Amendment,” would have created a new, vastly expanded constitutional right to invoke religious freedom as an excuse to discriminate, ignore existing state and local laws, and claim an entitlement to taxpayer funds and other state benefits. The vote was a victory for all North Dakotans, the great majority of whom recognize that religious freedom need not come at the expense of other cherished rights and values.

04/23/2012

Using Religion to Discriminate

White House Should Focus on the Constitution, Not the Bible

By Dena Sher, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 2:41pm

Last week, it was reported that the president of the American Bible Society is meeting with Joshua DuBois, the head of the President's Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, "to begin a dialogue on the importance of the Bible in the founding of the country." The American Bible Society president said, "It's impossible to separate the formation of our democratic republic from the foundation of Scripture." As we know, however, our Constitution is not based on biblical principles.

02/17/2012

Contraception

Wanted: Women on Birth Control, Not Men on Ham Sandwiches

By Sarah Lipton-Lubet, ACLU Washington Legislative Office & Dena Sher, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 6:17pm

Yesterday's House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on the new HHS rule that requires insurance plans to include birth control with no co-pay (except for those held by churches or religiously affiliated nonprofits like universities) has caused quite a stir. A few observations:

02/17/2012

Contraception

Thank You, Mr. President, for Protecting Our Liberty

By Kimberly Humphrey, Washington Legislative Office at 5:06pm

One thing is clear as the bickering on contraception continues — the Obama administration is standing up for women's rights in a big way. Unfortunately, that story has been overshadowed by an attempt to redefine the meaning of religious liberty in our country.

This great contraception debate has kept me up at night contemplating my own rights. Did I trade in my ability to make decisions about my own life when I enrolled at a Catholic law school? That was certainly not my intent. I took no oath, made no promises, and signed no document that said my attendance comes with a commitment to the tenets of Catholicism.

02/03/2012

Using Religion to Discriminate

Gerson Gets it Wrong on Contraception

By Sarah Lipton-Lubet, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 4:44pm

Earlier this week, Michael Gerson’s disregard for the health of women and their families appeared once again on the pages of the Washington Post.

The affront? The administration’s announcement that all new health insurance plans — except those held by churches and other houses of worship — will need to include coverage for birth control because it’s essential preventive health care for women.

11/21/2011

Contraception

Serving the People or the Bishops?

By Sarah Lipton-Lubet, ACLU Washington Legislative Office at 5:15pm

The politically powerful U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have been on an all-out campaign to force their beliefs on the rest of us.

04/01/2010

Using Religion to Discriminate

Keeping the Courthouse Doors Open to Protect Reproductive Health Care and Religious Liberty

By Brigitte Amiri, ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project at 3:48pm

(Originally posted at ACSblog.)

Last week, a federal district court in Massachusetts ruled that an ACLU challenge to the government's use of taxpayer dollars to impose religious doctrine on victims of human trafficking may go forward. The decision is a victory for women's health and for the basic constitutional principle that federal dollars cannot be used to favor one religious perspective over all others.

03/24/2010

Using Religion to Discriminate

A Victorious Step Toward Ensuring Reproductive Health Care for Trafficking Victims

By Brigitte Amiri, ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project at 11:27am

On Monday, a federal district court in Massachusetts ruled that an ACLU challenge to the government's use of taxpayer dollars to impose religious doctrine on victims of human trafficking may go forward. The decision is a victory for women's health and for the basic constitutional principle that federal dollars cannot be used to favor one religious perspective over all others.

American Civil Liberties Union