{"id":177471,"date":"2021-02-26T16:12:52","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T21:12:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=177471"},"modified":"2021-02-26T16:44:13","modified_gmt":"2021-02-26T21:44:13","slug":"4-ways-the-equality-act-could-damage-religious-freedom-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/4-ways-the-equality-act-could-damage-religious-freedom-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways The \u2018Equality Act\u2018 Could Damage Religious Freedom In America"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F4-ways-the-equality-act-could-damage-religious-freedom-in-america%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=177471&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-810766832.jpg?w=1200&#038;h=800&#038;ixlib=react-9.0.3\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p><span>After days of debate, the House of Representatives<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/sweeping-lgbt-bill-passes-house-gop-lawmaker-vows-to-fight-in-the-courts-and-beyond-if-it-becomes-law\"><span>passed<\/span><\/a> <span>the Equality Act on Thursday in a 224-206 vote.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/5\/text\"><span>Equality Act<\/span><\/a> <span>would<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/news\/the-equality-act-destroys-religious-liberty-heres-what-you-need-to-know\"><span>insert<\/span><\/a> <span>\u201csexual orientation\u201d and \u201cgender identity\u201d into the Civil Rights Act of 1964, thereby extending the power of the federal government to enforce nondiscrimination laws in cases related to LGBT individuals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The legislation also supersedes the<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/103rd-congress\/house-bill\/1308\"><span>Religious Freedom Restoration Act<\/span><\/a> <span>of 1993, which<\/span> <span>\u201cprohibits any agency, department, or official of the United States\u2026 from substantially burdening a person\u2019s exercise of religion.\u201d Less than thirty years ago, the<\/span> <span>Religious Freedom Restoration A<\/span><span>ct \u2014 whi<\/span><span>ch was sponsored by then-Representative and current Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY)<\/span> <span>\u2014<\/span> <span>passed the House and Senate almost unanimously and was signed into law by Democratic President Bill Clinton.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Democrats lauded the passage of the legislation; Rep. David Cicilline (RI-1)<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/cicilline.house.gov\/press-release\/cicilline-statement-passage-equality-act\"><span>stated<\/span><\/a> <span>that \u201cthe House has again affirmed that LGBTQ people should enjoy the same rights and responsibilities as all other Americans.\u201d On the grounds of effects upon religious freedom, Republicans sharply disagreed; Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) said the bill \u201cis trampling the rights of the people in the name of \u2018equality.\u2019\u201d He vowed to \u201ckeep fighting it in the courts and beyond.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>With its revision of keystone civil rights and religious freedom statutes, the Equality Act would have considerable effects upon Americans who operate under religious conviction in their daily lives.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>From private businesses and educational institutions to churches and adoption care providers, the Equality Act would grant legal powers to those who wish to advance the LGBT agenda at the expense of religious Americans.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Businesses<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>The Equality Act would compel religious business owners to potentially violate their consciences in hiring employees and providing services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Civil Rights Act<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=(title:42%20section:2000e-2%20edition:prelim)\"><span>disallows<\/span><\/a> <span>an employer to \u201cfail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise to discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment, because of such individual\u2019s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.\u201d The Equality Act would add \u201csexual orientation\u201d and \u201cgender identity\u201d to this list.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The revision could potentially touch every private business in the United States. For example, medical providers<\/span> <span>would lose the right to refuse particular services,<\/span> <span>as<\/span> <span>Ryan Anderson of the Ethics and Public Policy Center describes in an editorial for the<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/02\/21\/bidens-equality-act-is-a-danger-to-womens-and-conscience-rights\/\"><span>New York Post<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cMedical doctors, secular and religious, whose \u00adexpert judgment is that sex-reassignment procedures are misguided would now run afoul of our civil-rights laws,\u201d he wrote. \u201cIf you perform a mastectomy in the case of breast cancer, you will have to perform one on the teenage girl identifying as a boy. All in the name of equality.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The legislation also treats refusal<\/span> <span>to provide abortion-related services as \u201cpregnancy\u201d discrimination, which provides grounds to erode \u201cdecades of conscience protections against abortion extremism at the federal, state and local levels.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Adoption<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>The Equality Act includes language that would justify violating the consciences of religious adoption care providers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer\u2026 people commonly experience discrimination in securing access to public accommodations \u2014 including\u2026 adoption and foster care providers,\u201d reads the Equality Act\u2019s findings and purpose section. \u201cForms of discrimination include the exclusion and denial of entry, unequal or unfair treatment, harassment, and violence. This discrimination prevents the full participation of LGBTQ people in society and disrupts the free flow of commerce.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>As the<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/gender\/heritage-explains\/the-equality-act\"><span>Heritage Foundation<\/span><\/a> <span>details, laws about sexual orientation and gender identity at the state and local level have already forced the closure of several faith-based adoption and foster care providers across the United States. In 2018, for inst<\/span><span>ance, the Philadelphia Department of Human Services<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inquirer.com\/philly\/news\/city-council-lgbtq-discrimination-foster-adopt-child-welfare-hearings-20180315.html\"><span>halted<\/span><\/a> <span>foster care intake with Bethany Christian Services and Catholic Social Services. The decision came in the wake of Bethany Christian Services turning away a same-sex couple attempting to foster children and Catholic Social Services affirming the decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Heritage Foundation refers to similar situations in New York, Illinois, California, Massachusetts, and other Democratic states. However, the Equality Act would provide legal grounds from the federal level for more closures of faith-based adoption services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Currently, nearly half a million American children are in the foster care<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.childrensrights.org\/newsroom\/fact-sheets\/foster-care\/\"><span>system<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Education<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>The Equality Act prohibits \u201csexual orientation and gender identity discrimination\u201d in the hiring of education providers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Many religious educational institutions presently do not hire openly homosexual teachers due to their doctrines about marriage and sexuality. The Roman Catholic Church\u2019s Indianapolis Archdiocese, for example,<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncronline.org\/news\/people\/archdiocese-severs-ties-jesuit-school-after-refusal-fire-gay-teacher\"><span>ceased<\/span><\/a> <span>to recognize a Jesuit high school after it refused to dismiss a teacher engaged in a same-sex partnership. Archbishop Charles Thompson stated that<\/span> <span>the school had \u201cchosen not to implement changes in accord with the doctrine and pastoral practice of the Catholic Church.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Beyond hiring practices, the Equality Act would provide inroads for LGBT education to enter public schools.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A coalition called<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/promisetoamericaschildren.org\/#\"><span>Promise to America\u2019s Children<\/span><\/a> <span>\u2014 which is backed by the Family Policy Alliance, the Heritage Foundation, Alliance Defending Freedom, Christian Medical &#038; Dental Associations, and other advocacy groups \u2014 notes that the Equality Act would \u201cpave the way for sexualized curriculum across the nation while overriding the authority of parents and penalizing Americans who dare to disagree with its agenda.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Churches<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span>Many protections for churches will remain under the Equality Act. However, the legislation would still carry important implications for places of worship and demand vigilance from ministers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>John Litzler \u2014 the director of the Church Law Division of Christian Unity Ministries and a Baptist General Convention of Texas legal consultant \u2014 wrote for the<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baptiststandard.com\/opinion\/other-opinions\/commentary-the-equality-act-and-how-it-could-affect-churches-religious-organizations\/#:~:text=The%20Equality%20Act%20changes%20little%20for%20churches.%20Though,is%20strong%20protection%20for%20churches%20in%20these%20laws.\"><span>Baptist Register<\/span><\/a> <span>that \u201cministerial exemptions\u201d under the Civil Rights Act would not be affected by the Equality Act.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>However, Litzler states that \u201cwhen hiring a staff member who doesn\u2019t serve an important religious function for the church \u2014 such as a custodial staff member \u2014 that employee may not fall under the ministerial exception.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The recent<\/span> <em><span>Bostock v. Clayton County<\/span><\/em> <span>Supreme Court opinion \u2014 which ruled that \u201cthe protections guaranteed by the 1964 Civil Rights Act on the basis of sex also extend to discrimination against lesbian, gay, and transgender Americans\u201d \u2014 would be codified by the Equality Act. Litzler writes that an employee may therefore \u201cbring against the church a claim of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cStill, the Equality Act would bring some changes for churches,\u201d Litzler adds. \u201cWhile churches are not generally considered places of public accommodation, they will need to remain vigilant in connecting the rental of their facilities to the church\u2019s religious mission and behaving in a manner that doesn\u2019t put them in competition with secular rental venues.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author\u2019s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>The Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a\u00a0<\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailywire.com\/subscribe\"><span class=\"s1\"><em>member<\/em><\/span><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After days of debate, the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act on Thursday in a 224-206 vote.\u00a0 The Equality Act would insert \u201csexual orientation\u201d and \u201cgender identity\u201d into the &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2274316,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-810766832.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"4 Ways The \u2018Equality Act\u2018 Could Damage Religious Freedom In America","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-177471","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-810766832.jpg?w=1200&h=800&ixlib=react-9.0.3","fifu_image_alt":"4 Ways The \u2018Equality Act\u2018 Could Damage Religious Freedom In America","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2274316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}