The Family Research Council is trying to put pressure on President Donald Trump to sign the executive order that has been drafted to protect religious liberty in the U.S.
FRC President Tony Perkins issued the following call to action on Thursday afternoon:
Please read the petition below to President Trump asking him to sign an executive order protecting the religious freedom of these individuals and others. If you agree with it, click the link to sign it. We will deliver your petition to President Trump to show him that the American people, who supported him in the presidential election in part due to his promises to the faith community, desire strong religious freedom protections.
The following is just a sampling of Americans who have lost their religious freedoms because of Obama-era policies.
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- Alan Howe was unable to obtain a health plan in the state of Vermont that did not support abortion. He has since received an individual exemption, but there are many other Americans in that and other states who have complained about being forced to be a part of a plan covering abortions.
- Commander Wes Modder, a decorated U.S. Navy chaplain who served with distinction for over 20 years, was targeted for administrative action by the Navy for expressing biblical views of sexual morality and Christian marriage during a private counseling session.
- Master Sergeant Phillip Monk was targeted for criminal investigation by the Air Force after he refused to agree with his commanding officer that a subordinate’s expression of opposition to same-sex marriage constituted discrimination.
- The Little Sisters of the Poor, as well as other religious groups and colleges, have been forced under the HHS mandate to choose between paying crushing fines or violating their deeply held beliefs.
- Children served by Bethany Christian Services and Catholic Charities (which has been forced out of Massachusetts, Illinois and D.C.) will be left without the care provided by these organizations as they are being forced to violate their faith if they want to continue placing children for adoption.
- The poor served by Samaritan’s Purse, World Vision and other groups will be left without their services when these organizations can no longer enter contracts or receive grants because of conditions that violate their faith teachings on sexuality and marriage.
The petition reads:
Dear President Trump:
The above individuals and groups, and many others like them, have either suffered religious freedom violations or are about to suffer them under Obama era anti-religious policies. They need protections that you can grant in an executive order. I urge you to take executive action to ensure their freedom to believe and live out those beliefs is protected.
Click here to sign the petition.
There may be a good reason Trump hasn’t signed the order. For starters, as he himself is proving on a regular basis, executive orders can be undone by the very next president. He’s also strongly advocated for the repeal of the so-called “Johnson Amendment,” which prohibits pastors and churches from speaking out on matters of politics.
Without the order, there remains pressure on Congress to enact the Free Speech Fairness Act. With the order, weak-kneed Republicans can fold under lobbyist pressure, and the next president will be able to wipe those protections away with a pen stroke. {eoa}
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