Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
A coalition of pro-life leaders of conservative organizations sent a letter (PDF) to Senator Dick Durbin, Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, and Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, to warn them of the dangers of the Equality Act (H.R.5/S.393) to the pro-life cause and to vote against the bill.
“If passed, this legislation would be a severe bludgeon to efforts to protect the unborn by establishing abortion rights under the auspices of addressing pregnancy-related conditions. Despite the bill’s sponsors’ claims that this bill has nothing to do with abortion, the language in both the House and Senate versions of the bill lack critical abortion neutral language. Without such language, the bill will open a pandora’s box of abortion-related policy concerns, from taxpayer funding for abortions to abortion coverage mandates in health plans. Furthermore, under the expanded terms for public accommodation and diminished conscience protections for medical professionals, many doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care providers could be forced to participate in abortions under penalty of law. We call on Senators to oppose this radical bill.”
The so-called Equality Act will impact public policy across the board and curtail our personal freedom. In addition to what the measure will do to pro-life laws, it will redefine the word “sex” in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Individuals and entities that object to these changes, particularly the infringement on their First Amendment freedom, can’t cite the Religious Freedom Restoration Act as a defense. The Equality Act explicitly prohibits its use.
Civil rights laws ban discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, and national origin in employment, housing, and public accommodations, but the protections “may not be used to construe a right to abortion,” the letter states. “However, by prohibiting ‘less favorable treatment’ on the basis of ‘sex’ including provisions related to ‘pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions,’ and erasing the longstanding pro-life protections, the so-called Equality Act creates a path to impose onerous abortion mandates.”
Former President Donald Trump strengthened religious and conscience protections for health care professionals who oppose killing unborn babies, performing “gender reassignment” surgery, participating in “assisted suicide,” or any other objectionable procedures. The Equality Act puts these protections in jeopardy.
The Equality Act would put unborn babies in jeopardy.
“Without one explicit mention of abortion in its text, this legislation could be the biggest setback to the pro-life movement since Roe v. Wade. The Equality Act would present an open door for legal challenges to reasonable, widely supported restrictions on abortion and abortion funding across public and private entities.”
A sample of the 62 people who signed the letter: Star Parker, founder and President of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education; Lila Rose, founder and President of Live Action; Penny Young Nance, President and CEO of Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee; Ryan T. Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center; Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America/SFLAction; Rev. Dean Nelson, Executive Director of the Human Coalition Action; Day Gardner, president of the National Black Pro-Life Union; Amber S. Haskew, director of Public Policy, Liberty Counsel Action; Peggy Nienaber, Vice President of Faith & Liberty; Samuel H. Lee, Director of the Campaign Life Missouri; and Tami Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the NC Values Coalition.
Photo credit: Students for Life
