What are core conservative values?

True Republican values - published in The Washington Times

In "What Republicans should stand for: A midterm legislative agenda for all Americans," (Commentary, Tuesday) Robert Tracci aptly details legislative priorities to advance Republican core values. But how many Americans even know what are core Republican values?

Simple, practical, inspirational core values--articulated by tough and winsome candidates--are the key to conservative victories at the ballot box.

An offering of three simple core conservative values to take to the voters:

1. God grants human rights--not the government. The right to life is the most fundamental, followed by the right to practice our faith, speak our mind and pursue good goals in life.

2. You make better decisions for yourself than the government does. The more power the government has, the less power you have to control your own destiny. You should be making your own decisions in healthcare, education and business with the least possible interference from government.

3. Military might is the best path to peace internationally, and the rule of law and a civil society the best path to peace domestically. The purpose of military is to protect us and others by either posing the threat of destruction or by exercising destruction. The purpose of police is to enforce the laws of the people, through the humane and just but unflinching use of force when necessary. But ultimately, domestic peace hinges on a civil society, a people of moral character and values preserved in community.

JONATHAN IMBODY

GLEN ALLEN, VA

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/feb/17/letter-to-the-editor-true-republican-values/

How to seek truth in an era of journalistic activism

Back in the day when I studied journalism at Penn State, as far as I can recall, journalists were still expected to demonstrate some semblance of objectivity. Journalistic objectivity provided a check on politicians and government power and served the public by providing trustworthy information.

How many of us find the media reliable today? Not many, according to polling.

Over time, journalistic objectivity and fact-focus gave way to "interpreting the news for readers." This newfound power appealed to journalists' egos and sense of elitism: They could reform and advance society themselves, like "Philosopher Kings."

Meanwhile, the introduction of new technologies spurred an increase of and competition between media outlets. The pressure to grab market share accelerated a trend in journalism away from fact and evidence and toward emotion and conflict, which sell better among certain audiences.

 

What these changes leave us with today is no longer journalism but rather ideology wrapped up as news.  And if you don't recognize that fact, you will fall victim to media-fed propaganda.

 

So many journalists today are no more than activists with press passes, ideologues who see the profession not as fulfilling a duty to report the news, but as presenting an opportunity to shape the news in their own image.

 

They use their media platform to spread their ideology by killing stories that contradict their views and by rushing to rile the masses with unconfirmed stories shaped to conform to their own ideology.

 

Of course, facts are stubborn things, and courts or a barrage of undeniable evidence often expose such trumped-up narratives as shameless lies. 

 

But many journalists have no shame, and they have learned to obscure their failures by dangling the latest shiny object in front of their audiences--an emotion-grabbing storyline that stirs up division, conflict, outrage.

 

What to do? Work harder to find the truth. 

 

Instead of depending on media summaries, go to primary sources. 

• For legislative news, read the text of bills at Congress.gov. 
• For political debates, read transcripts or view the original events instead of media-selected excerpts. For public policy debates, watch events on C-SPAN. 
• For health-related news, the CDC and NIH still offer some good information, but they are headed by political appointees who can have an agenda, so check out their many critics as well.

As we do more of our own homework to get to the truth, we can still listen to media; we just have to recognize the agenda behind what we're hearing.

The "Equality Act" will erase religious freedom and medical judgment

 

The U.S. Congress has taken one step closer to ending religious protections—and medical judgment for health professionals—on gender issues, by passing the Equality Act by a largely partisan vote in the House of 224 – 206.

This radical legislation, a top priority of the Biden administration and the Democrat party that controls Congress, would literally remove religious freedom protections on gender issues and replace medical judgment with governmental coercion regarding treatment of children and adult patients experiencing gender dysphoria.

The Christian Medical Association (CMA), which has been fighting in court to strike down a similarly coercive Obama-era transgender mandate, outlined reasons for opposing the Equality Act in a letter to Members of Congress.

Uniting Americans with … transgender mandates?

In his January 20 Inaugural Address, President Joe Biden used the word "unity" no fewer than eight times, including:

"To overcome these challenges – to restore the soul and to secure the future of America – requires more than words. It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy: Unity. Unity.

"… History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity.

"This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward."

Hours after his inauguration, President Biden issued a flurry of 17 Executive Orders (EOs) to overthrow the previous administration's policies and replace them with his administration's top priorities. Among them: "Executive Order on Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation."*

Highlights of Trump administration religious freedom accomplishments

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

"President Donald J. Trump has kept his promise to defend the constitutionally protected right to the free exercise of religion.  His Administration has repeatedly stepped forward to protect those whose religious freedom is under threat and to ensure that faith-based organizations are treated fairly."

Highlights 

U.S. Dept. of Labor addresses religious freedom

I recently participated in a call with the U.S. Dept. of Labor's Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives. The White House provided the following highlights of that meeting:

• Department of Labor’s new Final Rule, “Implementing Legal Requirements Regarding the Equal Opportunity Clause’s Religious Exemption.” This rule will encourage the full and equal participation of religious organizations as federal contractors.

Watching China's persecution should cause us to protect religious freedom in the U.S.A.

George Weigel's incisive commentary in the Washington Post, on the secret pact between the Vatican and China makes the case for unwavering resolve in protecting religious freedom against the powers opposing it--in this case, the Communist Party of China. In the U.S., the opposing power frequently is a formidable coalition of abortion rights groups, corporation heads, LGBT activists, entertainment moguls and academics.

First Amendment to the Constitution also protects the free exercise of no religious beliefs

Quoted in a news report, Atheists bash DeVos' campus free-speech rules, the president of American Atheists displays a perilous ignorance of how the First Amendment protects their own beliefs, foolishly lambasting a new Department of Education campus free speech and religious exercise rule.

The rule simply requires public colleges and universities to provide religious student groups the same rights, benefits, and privileges that other student groups enjoy. Under the new rule that enforces the First Amendment, if several different student groups apply for access to meet in campus buildings—such as students with American Atheists, Black Lives Matter and Christian Medical Association--the public university cannot decide that only Black Lives Matter may enjoy the privilege because campus administrators disagree with atheists and Christians.

In guaranteeing the First Amendment free exercise of religious beliefs, the rule also guarantees the free exercise of no religious beliefs. Absent the First Amendment, the government decides which beliefs are allowed and which merit interrogation, imprisonment and violence.

Thankfully, we don't live in Communist China but in the free United States—free as long as we all protect each other's First Amendment freedoms.

New Dept. Ed rule: “Students should not be forced to choose between their faith and their education”

“Students should not be forced to choose between their faith and their education, and an institution controlled by a religious organization should not have to sacrifice its religious beliefs to participate in Department grants and programs.”  - Secretary Betsy DeVos.

Following up on the President's executive order safeguarding students’ First Amendment rights on college campuses and universities, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos has announced a final rule to protect students of faith on public and private campuses nationwide.

As the White House explains, the rule contains four provisions to protect religious liberty and free speech:

1. Allows the U.S. Department of Education to withhold federal funding from public colleges and universities if a state or federal court finds they violated the First Amendment.  Allows the U.S. Department of Education to withhold federal funding from private colleges and universities if a state or federal court finds they violated their own stated institutional policies on freedom of speech, including academic freedom.
2. Requires public colleges and universities to provide religious student groups the same rights, benefits, and privileges that other student groups enjoy.  
3. Provides a non-exhaustive list of factors for religious schools to demonstrate that they are exempt from Title IX to the extent Title IX conflicts with the tenets of their faith. 
4. Clarifies religious schools cannot be denied federal funding due to their religious character with respect to grant programs under the Higher Education Act, such as the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program (DHSIP), the Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program (SHBCU), the Strengthening Historically Black Graduate Institutions Program (SHBGI), and the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP).  

For more information:

Fact Sheet

Press release

Message at Supreme Court: Constitution protects both minority and majority viewpoints

Speakers included the mother (center, in red) of a girl
who transitioned against the mother's will through
the intervention of government authorities.

I recently spoke outside the Supreme Court in the face of raucous protests on the day of oral arguments in a case involving transgender individuals and alleged sex discrimination, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Speeches had resumed outside the court after a bomb scare had prompted police to clear the area.

Speeches resumed after police cleared the area for a bomb scare.

Members of the LGBT community relentlessly hassled and harried speakers on our side of the argument by launching wailing sirens, shouting with bullhorns in the faces of speakers and chanting mantras like "homophobe" while we spoke (a special irony given that our speakers included a lesbian and a former transgender man). I imagine their side had some reasonable arguments to make, but I could hear none over the sirens, bullhorn and chanting.
My remarks follow:

In a recent national poll of faith-based health professionals, virtually all of them declared, "I care for all patients in need, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identification, or family makeup, with sensitivity and compassion, even when I cannot validate their choices."
In that same poll, 91% of those faith-based health professionals also said they oppose "Redefining 'sex' in federal discrimination laws to mean gender identity, defined as one's internal sense of being 'male, female, neither or a combination of male and female.'"
So they treat all patients with care and compassion, but they need the freedom to recognize and rely on biology when treating their patients.
But some people think that to show compassion and respect for transgender individuals, the government has to force everyone to ignore not only the clear evidence of biology but also the clear meaning of the law.
That's why a few ideological members of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and activist judges have rejected the plain meaning of sex discrimination that Congress, women and doctors have all understood and relied upon for decades.

Reading transgenderism into decades-old sex discrimination law
threatens women's rights and sports, as track star Selina Soule
(above) discovered. Photo: Alliance Defends

In the process, these activists are threatening to undermine the very protections against sex discrimination that Congress enacted, which have transformed opportunities for women.
So this case today is as much about the law and individual freedom as it is about gender.
We will have no individual freedom in our country if the government can require you to believe whatever the government wants you to believe.
The genius of our nation's constitutional protection of individual rights and freedom is not only that the minority is protected from the tyranny of the majority, but also that the majority is protected from the tyranny of the minority. The goal of our democratic republic is protecting the greatest freedom for each one of us, protecting us from government coercion, whether our views align with the majority or with a minority.
So let's all work together to protect each other's freedom to choose our beliefs, and to act in accordance with those beliefs, without government coercion. 

.

Dr. Allen Josephson (left), former chief of the
Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and
Psychology at the University of Louisville, spoke
about how he lost his position after expressing his
professional opinions on the treatment
of youth experiencing gender dysphoria.

Thank you.

As expected, mainstream media coverage slanted toward
stories sympathetic to the LGBT community.

U.S. advocates at U.N. for international religious freedom

An email received from a friend in the White House summarizes this historic advocacy:

"Today, President Trump became the first President to convene a meeting on religious freedom at the UN. He was surrounded by survivors of religious persecution from around the globe, civil society leaders, religious leaders, US business executives, US administration officials (Secretary Pompeo, Ambassador Brownback, and many others), members of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and members of the faith community. Over 130 UN Heads of State and Delegations, as well as UN Secretary Gutierrez, attended the event to hear the President address this crucial issue.

As many of you know, there is no better time for a meeting like this one. More than 80 percent of the world’s population live in nations where religious freedom is threatened or banned. We see people being persecuted for their religious beliefs at an alarming rate. Right now in China, one million Muslim Uyghurs are imprisoned simply because of their faith. In Iran, the persecution of Christians, Sunnis, Bahai’i, and Jews continues. And in Burma, the military continues to target Rohingya Muslims and Christians with discrimination and violence.

Houses of worship – sacred places that should never be a place of violence – have seen unspeakable tragedies in the past year. In Sri Lanka, 300 Christians were murdered during Easter services. In New Zealand, 51 men, women, and children were brutally killed while attending mosque. And in Pittsburgh and Poway, faithful Jewish communities faced deadly and cowardly anti-Semitic attacks.  

Around the world, religious prisoners of conscience continue to be imprisoned, detained, and disappear for their religious beliefs. The trend of religious intolerance is rising around the world.

Today, the President used the full weight of the US government and called out on the world’s stage that we must not ignore this frightening trend. Instead, he called for an end to discrimination and persecution of all people, of all faiths. America stands with believers in every country.

For those of you who were not able to watch it live, I have included the text of the President’s remarks from today, the Vice President’s remarks, and the video of the full event. I also included highlights of the President’s speech sent around by the WH Communications Team.

I hope you will consider sharing. And of course, I hope you will join the President and Vice President in their efforts to advance religious freedom around the globe.

Thank you.

“Today, I ask all nations to join us in this urgent moral duty. We ask the governments of the world to honor the eternal right of every person to follow their conscience, live by their faith, and give glory to God.” – President Donald J. Trump 

Presidential Proclamation on Religious Freedom Day

Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2019
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM DAY, 2019
 - - - - - -

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

     On Religious Freedom Day, we celebrate our Nation's long‑standing commitment to freedom of conscience and the freedom to profess one's own faith.  The right to religious freedom is innate to the dignity of every human person and is foundational to the pursuit of truth.

   

Essay 12: Can transgender activism silence science?

Drastic? "The Trump administration is
considering narrowly defining gender
as a biological, immutable condition
determined by genitalia at birth...."
Photo by Kira auf der Heide on Unsplash

The New York Times recently published apparently leaked information about plans at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to adjust a 2016 transgender mandate. The adjustment involves reverting to the original Congressional statutory meaning of "sex discrimination" as discrimination based on biological sex.

When transgender ideology drives research

Even researchers who support transgenderism in adults experience attacks when raising researched concerns about children transitioning from one sex to another.

Dr. Debra Soh

In a Los Angeles Times commentary entitled, "Are gender feminists and transgender activists undermining science?," sexologist and Playboy.com contributor Dr. Debra Soh writes,

"Currently available research literature — including four studies published in the last nine years — suggests that 61% to 88% of gender dysphoric children will desist and grow up to be gay adults. (Or, in my case, a straight adult). They won't continue to identify as the opposite sex in adulthood. In one study of 139 gender dysphoric boys, 122 (88%) of the boys desisted. While transitioning can be beneficial for transgender adults, it therefore doesn't make sense to treat trans children in the same way.
"Nevertheless, transgender activists and their allies have branded desistance as a "myth," and those who suggest otherwise are called bigots or, dismissively, trolls.
"Distortion of science hinders progress. When gender feminists start refuting basic biology, people stop listening, and the larger point about equality is lost.
"But ignoring the science around desistance has serious consequences; it means some transgender children will needlessly undergo biomedical interventions, such as hormone treatments.
"…[I]t's never a good idea to dismiss scientific nuances in the name of a compelling argument or an honorable cause. We must allow science to speak for itself."[1]

Dr. Soh eventually left academia because it was no longer a place to pursue and proclaim truth. In a video interview, she noted,

"As to my decision to leave academia, In the last two years I had noticed that things were starting to go a bit weird, in terms of the climate."[2]

Her concern increased when media reports kept heralding the supposedly wonderful benefits to children of transitioning from one sex to another, despite the fact that scientific research finds otherwise. Dr. Soh explains,

"Research shows that the majority of kids that are gender dysphoric actually outgrow their feelings. So it makes sense for them to wait—not to transition at a young age. So I wanted to write a mainstream piece about this.
"And there's been a very long history between transgender activists and sex researchers—a very ugly history of activists going after sex researchers if they don't like what someone's study says or what they say publicly.
"So I thought about it for a long time. I wrote the piece and I sat on it for probably about six months. I wasn't sure if I wanted to put it out.
"I asked a bunch of colleagues and my mentors, and they all said, 'You know what, the science is solid, but you know what's going to happen if you do put this out.
"And at the time, I wanted to stay in academia, and I said, 'Shall I wait until I get tenure?' And everyone told me, 'Even if you have tenure, nowadays it's not a good protector. You can still lose your job.'
"So I decided, actually, that I couldn't stay quiet. And I thought, 'I'm not going to stay in an environment where I can't speak the truth and I can't even pursue questions that are meaningful anymore because I have to worry about who's going to get mad, and then I'm going to lose my money—my funding—and I'm going to lose my job.
"So that piece went out. It's called, 'Why Transgender Kids Should Wait to Transition.'[3]"And then I haven't looked back since."[4]

---

[1] Debra W. Soh, "Are gender feminists and transgender activists undermining science?" Los Angeles Times, February 10, 2017. Accessed online October 24, 2018 at http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-soh-trans-feminism-anti-science-20170210-story.html.

[2] The Rubin Report interview with Debra Soh, "Sex Research, Asian Discrimination, and #MeToo (Debra Soh Full Interview), August 10, 2018. Accessed online October 24, 2018 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkhDZMwR9eQ.

[3] Debra Soh, Ph.D., "Why Transgender Kids Should Wait to Transition," Pacific Standard, September 1, 2015, accessed online October 24, 2018 at https://psmag.com/social-justice/why-transgender-kids-should-wait-to-transition. Also reprinted at Wall Street Journal, September 4, 2015 at https://www.wsj.com/articles/notable-quotable-transgender-children-1441406728, accessed October 24, 2018.

[4] The Rubin Report interview with Debra Soh, "Sex Research, Asian Discrimination, and #MeToo (Debra Soh Full Interview), August 10, 2018. Accessed online October 24, 2018 at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkhDZMwR9eQ.

Federal Legislation Top Priorities - 2018

Note: The official positions of the Christian Medical Association and its affiliated Freedom2Care cover many policy areas. To maximize impact with current resources, CMA's Washington office focuses on the foundational right to life and freedoms of faith, conscience and speech—upon which all other rights and freedoms hinge.

Top Priorities: Freedom of faith, conscience and speech

·        Conscience Protection Act – S. 301, H.R. 644 - Prevent government coercion related to abortion.

·        Free Speech Fairness Act – S. 264, H.R. 781 - Protect free speech on political issues for nonprofit organizations including churches.

Top Priorities: Right to life

·        Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act – S. 1922, H.R. 36 (passed) - Protect developing babies from abortions at the stage in which they can feel pain.

·        House Resolution on Dangers of Assisted Suicide – H. Con. Res. 80 - Prevent assisted suicide.

Other bills supported

·        Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act – S. 811, H.R. 1881 - Protect religious freedom of faith-based child service providers.

·        Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act - H.R. 217 - Redirect tax dollars from abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood to federally qualified health centers.

·        Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act – S. 220, H.R. 37 - Save lives of babies born in an abortion.

·        No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act – S. 184, H.R. 7 (passed) - Prevent tax dollars from funding abortion.

·        Parental Rights Resolution - S J Res 48 - Proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relating to parental rights.

·        Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act – S. 1823, HR 2405 – Gives community centers, including tax-exempt houses of worship, eligibility for disaster relief and emergency assistance.

·        Heartbeat Protection Act - HR 490 – would not allow a physician to perform an abortion: (1) without first determining whether the fetus has a detectable heartbeat, (2) without informing the mother of the results, or (3) after determining that a fetus has a detectable heartbeat.

Christian doctors association lauds appointment of Sam Brownback as religious freedom ambassador

Imbody (r) with then-Sen. Brownback
at White House, Dec. 23, 2005

The 18,000-member Christian Medical Association (CMA, www.cmda.org) today hailed as a "signal of new hope for persons of faith enduring persecution and oppression" the presidential appointment of Samuel Brownback of Kansas to be Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom, Department of State. Mr. Brownback has been Governor of Kansas since 2011.

CMA Vice President for Government Relations Jonathan Imbody said, "Having worked for many years with Gov. Brownback when he served as a US Senator from 1996-2011, I saw up close his commitment to the unalienable right of every person to worship, serve and honor God according to conscience.

"As a person of deep faith who respects persons of all faiths and persuasions, Gov. Brownback brings to this role an empathy, understanding and passion that will advance religious freedom abroad and also serve as an example at home, where religious freedom faces new and significant challenges. This appointment is a tremendous encouragement for religious freedom advocates everywhere, and most importantly, serves as a signal of new hope for persons of faith enduring persecution and oppression."

The Pew Research Foundation has charted an increase globally in "government restrictions on religion and social hostilities involving religion." The Foundation noted "increases in mob violence related to religion, individuals being assaulted or displaced due to their faith, and incidents where violence was used to enforce religious norms."

Through the Christian Medical Association, Mr. Imbody directs Freedom2Care, which focuses on freedoms of faith, conscience and speech in the US.

See also:

1. Testimony by Jonathan Imbody before Sen. Brownback's Senate Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on the Constitution.
2. Article by Jonathan Imbody, "A Flash of Life," on Sen. Brownback's efforts to highlight the value of early human life through testimony on in utero surgery.
3. Article by Jonathan Imbody, "Experts set the record straight on abortion pain," regarding Sen. Brownback's legislation related to fetal pain.
4. Commentary by Jonathan Imbody on Sen. Brownback's legislation to ban human cloning.
5. This news release: http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/7552079897.html

Anti-Christian Libel, Shootings and the City of God

Normally one could simply ignore a group like Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) that labels religious freedom organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom and Family Research Council "hate groups." But when slander triggers violence, and when journalists regurgitate the slander, it's time to mount a challenge. 
Twice now, SPLC labels have been tied to shootings by SPLC "hate group" list followers: at GOP lawmakers including Rep. Steve Scalise at the ballpark and at FRC headquarters, where hero

FRC's Hero: Leo Johnson

Leo Johnson took a bullet to save the lives of many of my friends and colleagues in the building. 

Rep. Steve Scalise after shooting linked to SPLC list

ADF's Kerri Kupec

So how refreshing and vital it is that ADF has such winsome representatives like friends Kerri Kupec, Casey Mattox, Alison Centofante and many more who challenge the libel and by their words, demeanor and character, put the lie to the SPLC label. 
Centuries ago, as Augustine's City of God addressed, angry Romans blamed Christians for the fall of that civilization which had lost its moral compass. That anti-Christian spirit has returned with renewed intensity, and once again people of faith have landed in the cross-hairs--sometimes literally--of a subsection of society that would pin its own sins on a scapegoat. 
Thankfully, we follow One who served as our scapegoat, taking our sins upon Himself and turning our dismal depravity into grace and glory. May Christ empower and equip us to trace His footsteps in a way that honors Him.

Linking healthcare access to conscience freedoms, Christian Medical Association hails Presidential Executive Order

[The President's Executive Order text follows this press statement]
Washington, DC, May 4, 2017--Citing the link between patient access to healthcare and conscience freedom for health professionals, the 18,000-member Christian Medical Association (CMA, www.cmda.org) today expressed gratitude for President Trump's executive order that begins to provide stronger protections against discrimination against individuals and organizations of faith.

"Protecting religious freedom means protecting the millions of individuals served by organizations and professionals who are motivated and guided by the tenets of their faith," explained Dr. David Stevens, CEO of the 85-year-old nonpartisan organization of Christian doctors and students. "The faith that compels so many health professionals to minister to patients in underserved areas and populations is the same faith that compels us to practice according to moral and ethical guidelines. Conscience freedoms are the foundation of our service.

"When the government refuses to accommodate those faith principles, or--as we experienced in the previous administration's contraceptives and transgender mandates--attempts to coerce people of faith to violate those principles, those who suffer include the poor, the marginalized and the vulnerable."

Represented by Becket Law, the Christian Medical Association recently successfully challenged the Obama administration's transgender mandate. Represented by Americans United for Life, CMA filed an amicus brief in the contraceptives mandate Supreme Court case, Zubik v. Burwell.

CMA also worked to help establish the nation's first health professionals' conscience protection rule, promulgated in 2008 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Obama administration subsequently gutted the conscience rule and also attempted to force faith-based organizations to participate in morally objectionable contraceptives such as Plan B and the morning-after pill.

"We are grateful for this executive order that begins to turn the tide back toward freedom of faith and speech, including political speech. Americans do not give up their First Amendment protections when they speak from the pulpit, counsel their patients or minister in a faith-based outreach to help the poor," Dr. Stevens observed. "Threatening the First Amendment freedoms of any one group threatens the First Amendment freedoms of all of us, and protecting those freedoms protects us all." 
-----

EXECUTIVE ORDER

PROMOTING FREE SPEECH AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

      By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, in order to guide the executive branch in formulating and implementing policies with implications for the religious liberty of persons and organizations in America, and to further compliance with the Constitution and with applicable statutes and Presidential Directives, it is hereby ordered as follows:

     Section 1.  Policy.  It shall be the policy of the executive branch to vigorously enforce Federal law's robust protections for religious freedom.  The Founders envisioned a Nation in which religious voices and views were integral to a vibrant public square, and in which religious people and institutions were free to practice their faith without fear of discrimination or retaliation by the Federal Government.  For that reason, the United States Constitution enshrines and protects the fundamental right to religious liberty as Americans' first freedom.  Federal law protects the freedom of Americans and their organizations to exercise religion and participate fully in civic life without undue interference by the Federal Government.  The executive branch will honor and enforce those protections.

     Sec. 2.  Respecting Religious and Political Speech.  All executive departments and agencies (agencies) shall, to the greatest extent practicable and to the extent permitted by law, respect and protect the freedom of persons and organizations to engage in religious and political speech.  In particular, the Secretary of the Treasury shall ensure, to the extent permitted by law, that the Department of the Treasury does not take any adverse action against any individual, house of worship, or other religious organization on the basis that such individual or organization speaks or has spoken about moral or political issues from a religious perspective, where speech of similar character has, consistent with law, not ordinarily been treated as participation or intervention in a political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) a candidate for public office by the Department of the Treasury.  As used in this section, the term "adverse action" means the imposition of any tax or tax penalty; the delay or denial of tax-exempt status; the disallowance of tax deductions for contributions made to entities exempted from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of title 26, United States Code; or any other action that makes unavailable or denies any tax deduction, exemption, credit, or benefit.

     Sec. 3.  Conscience Protections with Respect to Preventive-Care Mandate.  The Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Labor, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall consider issuing amended regulations, consistent with applicable law, to address conscience-based objections to the preventive-care mandate promulgated under section 300gg-13(a)(4) of title 42, United States Code.

     Sec. 4.  Religious Liberty Guidance.  In order to guide all agencies in complying with relevant Federal law, the Attorney General shall, as appropriate, issue guidance interpreting religious liberty protections in Federal law.

     Sec. 5.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any individual or circumstance, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of its other provisions to any other individuals or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.  

     Sec. 6.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i)   the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

(ii)  the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

     (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

     (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,

May 4, 2017.

Federal 2017 Policy Top Priorities: Right to life and freedom of faith, conscience and speech

Christian Medical Association / Freedom2Care

Federal Policy Top Priorities - 2017

The Washington office of the Christian Medical Association (which hosts Freedom2Care) focuses on the fundamental issues of the right to life and freedom of faith, conscience and speech, which serve as the foundation for all other rights and freedoms. Following are some of the top priorities for the new year:

Freedom of faith and conscience 

1.      Protect conscience rights in healthcare by restoring the conscience protection regulation for healthcare professionals and institutions, along with its educational outreach program.

2.      Prevent government coercion related to abortion by passing conscience-protecting legislation (e.g., Conscience Protection Act - S 2927, H.R.4828; Healthcare Conscience Rights Act - S 1919; Abortion Non-Discrimination Act - S 50).

3.      Overturn  "transgender mandate" regulation, which disallows medical judgment and redefines Congress' biological definition of sex to include LGBT issues, by winning our lawsuit vs. US Dept. of HHS.

4.      Sweep away radical federal regulations by empowering Congress (e.g., through the  Midnight Rules Relief Act - S.3483, HR 5982) to disapprove of federal agency regulations that fall within 60 legislative days of a president's final term.

Right to life

1.      Ban abortions of developing babies at the stage in which they can feel pain (e.g., Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act - S.1670; HR 36-passed).

2.      Redirect tax dollars from abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood to federally qualified health centers (e.g., Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act - S 51, HR 217).

3.      Save lives of babies born in an abortion (e.g., Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act - S2066; HR 3504 passed).

Personnel

Promote and support pro-life, pro-religious freedom individuals for key positions including:

·         Supreme Court: new justices

·         Health and Human Services: Secretary, Deputy Secretary, Assistant Secretary for Health, Surgeon General, Assistant Secretary For Children And Families, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Director of National Institutes of Health, Director of faith-based office, Office of Civil Rights, Office of Global Health Affairs.

·         White House - Domestic Policy Advisor, director of faith-based office

·         Department of State – AIDS Ambassador (PEPFAR), Office of International Religious Freedom, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, faith-based office, Office of Religion and Global Affairs.

·         US Agency for International Development – Administrator, Asst. Admin. - Bureau of Global Health, faith-based office.