Interfaith Alliance Blasts Impending Department of Heath and Human Services
Rule for “Using Religious Freedom as a License to Discriminate”
The rule will allow taxpayer-funded agencies to discriminate on the basis
of religion, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced its intent to permit HHS grant recipients to discriminate on the basis of religion, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
Katy Joseph, Policy and Legislative Advisor for Interfaith Alliance, strongly condemned the action, saying:
“With today’s announcement, the federal department charged with ‘protect[ing] the health and wellbeing of all Americans’ has instead exposed millions to potential harm. The right of religious freedom protects personal belief. It does not permit the use of taxpayer funds to shame, exclude, or reject others because they do not share our faith.
“Hundreds of faith-based agencies receive government grants to perform essential services – without turning away those in need. Today’s announcement is a gift to the very small number of entities who would weaponize their personal beliefs to prevent the formation of loving families simply because the adoptive parents are LGBTQ+ or turn away patients in crisis because the nature of the care they seek.
“This is exactly the sort of religious favoritism the Establishment Clause prohibits. Interfaith Alliance will fight this distortion of religious freedom at every turn.”
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Interfaith Alliance celebrates religious freedom by championing individual rights, promoting policies that protect both religion and democracy, and uniting diverse voices to challenge extremism. Founded in 1994, Interfaith Alliance brings together members from 75 faith traditions as well as those without a faith tradition to protect faith and freedom. For more information visit www.interfaithalliance.org.