Action Alert Archives - American Atheists

Discrimination is NOT Religious Freedom—Support the Do No Harm Act!

American Atheists — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 16:00:18 +0000

For too long, religious exemptions have created special privileges for religious people and organizations at the federal level. But there’s a solution: the Do No Harm Act, which was recently introduced in the Senate by Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). The Do No Harm was also introduced in the House of Representatives in March. If passed, the Do No Harm Act would limit the negative impact of religious exemptions created by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in all areas of federal law, including civil rights and health care coverage. We need your help to build support for this important legislation. Please ask your Senators and Congressperson to support this bill! American Atheists has long opposed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) because it gives special treatment to religion above and beyond what the First Amendment requires or allows. While RFRA was originally intended as a shield to protect religious minorities, this law is now being used as a weapon to justify the denial of health care coverage for employees, to allow for discrimination, and to undermine child labor and abuse laws. Religious beliefs should never justify special exemptions from the law. The Do No Harm Act would take a step in the right direction by making sure that any religious exemptions under RFRA do not shift the burden to third parties, such as young people in foster care, people receiving services from the federal government, or employees of religious businesses. As Congressman Bobby Scott, a sponsor of the House bill, explained, the Do No Harm Act will ensure that “religious freedom is only used as a shield to protect individuals from discrimination and not a sword to cut down the rights of others.” Please take action now—ask your Senators and Congressperson to support the Do No Harm Act!

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Ask Governor DeWine to Veto Dangerous Religious Refusals in Health Care!

American Atheists — Tue, 29 Jun 2021 16:04:46 +0000

The Ohio Legislature has endangered all Ohioans by inserting extremely broad denial of care language into the state’s budget (HB 110). This dangerous provision allows health care providers, hospitals, insurance companies, and even employers to refuse to provide or pay for care based on their beliefs, opening the door to widespread denial of care and discrimination. Our last chance to stop this religious provision is a veto from Governor DeWine! Please act now and ask the Governor to veto this dangerous denial of care provision. The simple fact is that this religious refusal language will allow health care providers and payers to deny needed services, not for medical reasons but based on their religious beliefs, risking the health and safety of all patients in Ohio, including yours. Should your boss’s religious beliefs dictate what health care your family can or cannot receive? We say No! This provision will have unpredictable and far-reaching negative consequences, affecting health care such as contraception, end-of-life care, vaccination, pregnancy & reproductive services, counseling & behavioral health, fertility treatment, PrEP & HIV treatment, and many others. This is especially devastating to women, older Americans, LGBTQ people, people living with HIV, people with disabilities, and those living in rural areas. Please act now—ask Governor DeWine not to put the religious beliefs of hospitals and employers above patients’ health and safety!

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Ohio Residents: Stop Dangerous Religious Refusals in Health Care!

American Atheists — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 20:22:15 +0000

The Ohio Senate has endangered all Ohioans by inserting extremely broad denial of care bill language into the state’s budget (HB 110). This dangerous provision allows health care providers, hospitals, insurance companies, and even employers to refuse to provide or pay for care based on their beliefs, opening the door to widespread denial of care and discrimination. Our best chance to stop this religious provision is in the conference committee! Please act now and ask committee members to stop this dangerous denial of care language from passing into law. The simple fact is that this religious refusal language will allow health care providers and payers to deny needed services, not for medical reasons but based on their religious beliefs, risking the health and safety of all patients in Ohio. Should your boss’s religious beliefs dictate what health care your family can or cannot receive? We say No! This provision will have unpredictable and far-reaching negative consequences, affecting health care such as contraception, end-of-life care, vaccination, pregnancy & reproductive services, counseling & behavioral health, fertility treatment, PrEP & HIV treatment, and many others. This is especially devastating to women, older Americans, LGBTQ people, people living with HIV, people with disabilities, and those living in rural areas. Please act now — ask Ohio lawmakers not to put the religious beliefs of hospitals and employers above patients’ health and safety!

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This National Foster Care Month, End Religious Exemptions in Adoption and Foster Care!

American Atheists — Wed, 26 May 2021 22:27:38 +0000

May is National Foster Care Month—a time to recognize the importance of families and lift up the voices of youth in foster care. Adoption and foster care programs exist to serve the best interests of vulnerable children, and yet there are 11 states that allow religious child placement agencies to discriminate. The John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act would fix this problem by prohibiting discrimination based on religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and marital status in the adoption and foster care system. No longer could taxpayer funded adoption and foster care agencies cite religion to discriminate against atheist or LGBTQ children and potential parents. Please contact your Senators and Representative and tell them to end religious exemptions and discrimination in adoption and foster care! This bill will help hundreds of thousands of children and youths find safe environments and eventually their forever families, free from religious coercion and discrimination. Currently, there are over 400,000 children who need placement in our foster care system and about 125,000 children waiting to be adopted into a forever family. Allowing discrimination against qualified families based on the religious beliefs of others reduces the number of available families and harms these vulnerable children. The John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act will also protect young people in child welfare systems from religious coercion, such as coercive religious conversion and dangerous conversion therapy. This National Foster Care Month, please ask your Senators and Representatives to support the John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act! Together we can help each child find a forever home, free from religious coercion. We must prioritize the best interests of children—not those who would discriminate against them.

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Connecticut Residents: Eliminate Dangerous Religious Exemptions to Vaccination

American Atheists — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 15:00:00 +0000

Under current law, Connecticut allows children to attend school and daycare without receiving legally required vaccination if their parents have a religious objection. Unfortunately, in recent years, we have seen measles outbreaks across the nation, and too often these types of religious exemptions to vaccination are the cause. Fortunately, the Connecticut legislature is considering a bill (HB 6423) to address this issue and eliminate the religious exemption loopholes that endanger children. Please take action today—tell your Connecticut senator to protect all children from preventable infectious disease! This bill has already passed the Connecticut House and committee in the Senate. It just needs a final vote in the Senate to move forward and become law. Then Connecticut can join states like New York and Maine, which repealed dangerous religious exemptions to vaccination in recent years. However, Connecticut lawmakers are hearing a lot from the other side—those who would refuse vaccination even if it means putting other children at risk. Connecticut lawmakers need to hear from you—please tell your state senator to support this life-saving bill! Together, we can pass these vital protections into law. Image by Heather Hazzan under CC BY 2.0

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Oppose Christian Nationalist Curriculum in Florida Public Schools!

American Atheists — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 16:36:04 +0000

The Florida Department of Education is moving forward with new curriculum standards that would indoctrinate students with a false Christian nationalist version of history. But it is not too late to oppose these new standards — please take action today! The proposed education standards include: SS.7.C.1.12, which would require 7th graders to “recognize how Judeo-Christian values influenced America’s founding ideals and documents.” Students would be required to learn about the Ten Commandments, ‘the Protestant work ethic,’ and various supposedly ‘Judeo-Christian’ values. SS.912.C.1.5, which would require 9th graders to “analyze the influence of Judeo-Christian values on America’s founding ideals and documents.” Specifically, students would be taught that core principles of American governance, such as limited government and separation of powers are actually ‘Judeo-Christian’ values. This religious propaganda has no place in Florida’s public schools. Tell the Department of Education to remove these sections from the proposed curriculum standards! This insertion of religious ideology into public schools is part of an effort by Christian nationalists to rewrite American history so that it favors their agenda. These standards aim to undermine the separation of religion and government and spread a false narrative that America was founded as a Christian nation. Together, however, we can tell the Florida Department of Education that this is not acceptable. We need to send as many letters opposing these curriculum changes as possible to the Department by April 23rd. Please take action today and send this to everyone you know!

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Oppose Religious Coercion in New Hampshire Public Schools!

American Atheists — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 20:45:19 +0000

New Hampshire lawmakers are considering an unnecessary and exclusionary bill (HB 69) that will require every building in every school district to have an “In God We Trust” display. This harmful Christian nationalist legislation has already passed in several other states, but together, we can stop it in New Hampshire! Government-sponsored religious coercion has no place in our public schools. This message of exclusion is the last thing atheist and religious minority students, teachers, and staff need. Join this important effort to stop promotion of religion in New Hampshire schools! Please reach out to the Senate Education Committee and ask them to reject HB 69! HB 69 will result in bullying and harassment of students with minority beliefs. According to a study on religion in America by the Pew Research Center, 36% of New Hampshire residents are religiously unaffiliated. Younger Americans are even more likely to be nonreligious. New Hampshire lawmakers should not stigmatize these students by requiring schools to promote religious messages! National motto display bills like HB 69 are being pushed by special interests as part of Project Blitz, an effort by Christian nationalists to rewrite American history so that it favors their agenda. These bills aim to undermine the separation of religion and government and spread a false narrative that America was founded as a Christian nation. We cannot allow special interests to use our children to achieve their political goals. Please take a moment and ask the Senate Education Committee to oppose this bill today!

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Texans: Oppose Dangerous Religious Exemptions in Health Care!

American Atheists — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 16:02:21 +0000

The Texas House Public Health Committee is considering a bill (HB 1424) that creates dangerously broad religious exemptions for health care providers and institutions, allowing them to deny care based on their beliefs. This bill opens the door to widespread refusal of care and discrimination in the name of religion. Help stop this terrible bill now before it gets any further! Email the committee members and ask them to OPPOSE HB 1424! This dangerous bill will allow health care providers and hospitals to deny any needed services, risking the health and safety of all patients in Texas. HB 1424 will have unpredictable and far-reaching negative consequences, affecting health care such as contraception, end-of-life care, vaccination, pregnancy & reproductive services, counseling & behavioral health, fertility treatment, PrEP & HIV treatment, and many others. This is especially devastating to women, older Americans, LGBTQ people, people living with HIV, people with disabilities, and those living in rural areas. Please act now — ask Texas lawmakers not to put the personal beliefs of hospitals and providers above patients’ health and safety!

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Oppose Teaching Creationism in Arkansas Schools

American Atheists — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 18:37:47 +0000

Arkansas lawmakers are considering an unconstitutional bill (HB 1701) that would allow creationism to be taught in place of science in Arkansas public schools. This reckless legislation has already passed the Arkansas House and has moved to the Senate Education Committee—we need your help to stop it! Government-sponsored religious teaching has no place in our public school classrooms. This bill would not only deprive students of adequate education in the science of evolution, a fundamental concept in biology, it would undermine religious freedom for students and teachers in Arkansas. Arkansans, join this important effort to stop the promotion of religion in Arkansas schools! Please reach out to the Education Committee and ask them to reject HB 1701! The US Supreme Court has struck down laws that allow the teaching of creationism in public schools multiple times because they lack any legitimate secular purpose. In fact, similar laws have been struck down in Arkansas at least twice! Still, Arkansas lawmakers insist on repeating their mistakes, at the expense of public schools students and taxpayers. In an unbiased court system, there is no way HB 1701 would withstand court scrutiny. But given the ideological packing of the courts, especially in Arkansas, who knows? It is much better to stop this harmful bill now! HB 1701 would needlessly waste education resources, put school districts at risk, undermine science education, and subject Arkansas students to religious coercion. Arkansans, please take action today to stop this terrible legislation! Contact the Senate Education Committee and urge them to reject this bill.

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End Child Marriage in New York

American Atheists — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 18:11:47 +0000

The New York Assembly and Senate Judiciary Committees will be considering S3086/A3891, life-saving bills that would prevent children from being forced into marriage by prohibiting marriage of individuals under the age of 18. This legislation is important because, too often, marriages occur in religious sects where very young girls are forced to marry men much older than them. Child marriage remains a widespread problem in the United States. Between 2000 and 2015, more than 207,500 children as young as age 12 have been forced to marry, including nearly 4,000 in New York. Current New York law sets a minimum marriage age of 18 but has a loophole allowing children 17 years old to marry with custodial parent or guardian consent and judicial approval. The U.S. State Department has called marriage before age 18 a “human rights abuse.” Take action today! Tell the members of the Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees to protect young people in New York from this devastating practice! Children forced into marriage because of their parents’ beliefs have few options. As minors, they face legal dead ends, and organizations and shelters have significant barriers to helping them. As a result, these children remain with abusive families and husbands, and they are often removed from school, raped, and live in poverty. The only way to give children the ability to say “No” to marriage is to eliminate marriage under age 18 and close loopholes to existing laws. Postponing marriage until both parties are 18 gives young people the legal right to refuse to marry and to take legal action against domestic abusers. We are so close to getting this passed—please help protect children in New York by asking the Assembly and Senate Judiciary Committee members to support S3086/A3891!

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