A Reason For Hope And Concern in Religious Liberty

Americans who care about religious liberty, not silent and cannot give up that way and with the members of Congress and somewhat different. This is with PNC family Pres. John Rustin all thanks for joining us this week for family policy matters.

If you are a regular listener to the daily mainstream media operably have a pretty negative view of what's happening in our nations capital. Today, however, we will be talking with someone who is there and who has a first-hand view of the real story about many of the positive things that are taking place, especially when it comes to the critically important issue of religious liberty. Our guest today is David Christiansen, vice president for government affairs with the family research Council in Washington DC David, welcome back to family policy map to try to have you on the show again. John, thanks so much for having David, I know it's hard to know where to begin on this discussion because there are so many moving parts that are taking place. But let's start with what many religious freedom advocates considered to be a major hopeful victory and that is the recent confirmation of Kansas, Gov. Sam Brownback is the ambassador at large for international religious freedom.

What exactly is this position all about and what can we reasonably expect from government Brownback when it comes to this new position. Yet we are really excited about his confirmation to this supposition, the investor apart from the national religious liberty and is at the State Department and what his job in the Lowell is is to work on promoting religious liberty overseas.

So in 1998. The international religious freedom act was passed, and there was a position for kind of an at-large you know somebody who is the head of religious liberty over the State Department, but quite honestly, and it became very apparent during the last eight years that this position was a lower level department official who did not even report to the Secretary of State so Congressman Chris Smith from New Jersey, and others pushed legislation two years ago 2016 that passed actually present Obama signed into law to elevate the position of religious liberty to an ambassador position, who would directly report to the Secretary of State would have more authority would have an actual office. This is all very inside the Beltway stuff, but that would have a lot more authority and criteria for promoting religious liberty at the international level, and we think Gov. Brownback is perfect for that G.I. helps as a senator past the 1998 law that the present claim, son-in-law, and he also has worked on helping Christians in Darfur will be persecuted in Sudan. These work to help out the high minorities in Iran is been an advocate of human rights and obviously religious liberty.

What we've seen with the persecution of Christians. The beheadings, whether it's in Africa, Nigeria, whether it's in.

You know Iraq obviously his duties are being persecuted and others know Sam Brownback is is somebody who can really elevate this as a foreign policy goal and the argument and and Sandra Beck made this point and in his confirmation hearing. We have got to protected religious liberties and the freedoms of others from oppression and from Isis and from others because it's kind of benefits not only the people which is clearly important to charter their dignity, but it is important for policy goal strategy for the United States, and so to get back to promoting me we push so hard to get the State Department under Sec. Kerry to even declare what was happening as genocide. They were so resistant. We just need strong leadership in the bethink us on the government. Brownback person for that job.

That is exciting, and certainly this whole issue of religious freedom has gained additional prominence and really seems to be a much higher probability for this current administration. We of course have recently seen the US Department of Health and Human Services announced the establishment of formation of a new conscience and religious freedom division within DHHS's office for civil rights tell us about this new division will this new division is within the existing office of civil rights protect claims of discrimination on the healthcare matters whether a violation whether it's violations of other kinds of possible rights law in the context of healthcare and know just a quick aside, I work for Cummins and Dave Weldon back in the on the hill Florida Congressman in 2004, Congress passed legislation to add to conscience protections because we were seeing a trend where government agencies or states getting federal funds for hospitals getting from funds discriminating against pro-life healthcare provider ribosome nurses being forced to nurses being forced to participate in abortion against them will stay the California since then. In the last three years of mandated abortion insurance coverage so that churches are losing their insurance coverage Oregon on Illinois.

There's other state so Obama rescinded President Bush's regulations enforcing those conscience protections and what trumps HHS did recently was to elevated office of civil rights within religious freedom division to enforce multiple over 25 walls on the book protecting the conscience rights of pro-life healthcare providers, and people who object to assisted suicide. And then – a purported regulation that people were to be sending out alert saying hey you got to file comments with the government say this is good because the left is good. Oppose best so you know we all think doctors and nurses of residents and residents are federally funded residency program should be forced to participate in abortion, this is a long history in American jurisprudence and constitutional law and morality of conscience rights and unfortunately the Obama administration did nothing to protect the conscience rights of so many Americans. And in this whole new division in this new regulation is now start actually enforcing those violations that have been ongoing for the last eight years was listening to policy matters of resource to listen to our radio show online resources have a place of persuasion in your community to our website family.org was very helpful. Mandated this new division seems to have two focus areas are conscience, which typically seeks to protect, as he talked about the moral and religious beliefs of healthcare providers like doctors and nurses and also religious freedom which has broader implications when it comes to healthcare insurance, etc. what do you see as the scope of this new division. How broad might that get in the water. Some of the most important issues is likely to address early home is no question that the religious liberty protection element is important. So, like I mentioned princes that the California has mandated all insurance plans cover elective abortion which means if you are a religious health insurance company. You now have to provide abortion coverage. If you are a religious employer, and you had insurance for your employees.

You now have to cover elective abortion or drop your healthcare coverage course if you drop your healthcare coverage or violating of bunkers and caravans you don't find so you know Pastor Jack to some some others in California have filed complaints over two years ago with the Obama administration and got nowhere. They basically ignored the complaints and finally came back and said alert you know this is a problem and you're not protected anyway so this new division is going to protect that and you say well the federal government can't stop every act of discrimination at the state or local level, but here there's a funding hook, HHS and the federal government funds California, Oregon, others to the tune of billions of dollars a year right under the bills that say you cannot find a federally funded program discriminate against abuse. Got pro-life concerns whether it has to do with abortion has to do with assisted suicide in the last thing we want is is pro-life doctors, nurses or hospitals or employers to suddenly say, oh, now the thinnest federally funded program I'm in.

I have to violate my conscience of my deeply held religious beliefs and and go along with this, that that's just entirely inappropriate, entirely unconstitutional, and so this administration is elevating religious freedom conscience protections for pro-life on the assisted suicide issues to the same level of other simple white rights laws that we all agree with bright people should be discriminated against on the basis of race or religion or age. For instance, are natural or national origin.

Now were seeing parity between the way that the government was is going to enforce the civil rights and conscience protections under the judicial branch were just a minute course, the Supreme Court recently declined to consider a couple cases challenging a Mississippi state law aimed at protecting both religiously motivated employees and organizations are talk a little bit about Mississippi's religious liberty accommodations act and what the Supreme Court refusal to take this case means while we are in the lines defending freedom in some other groups really worked on a number of issues that we haven't gotten very far.

The federal level, but in the states they pass the nondiscrimination act and the lower court struck it down as being discriminatory of the bill is really simple it's it's a nondiscrimination policy as it relates to state punishment of people on the basis that they support marriage between a man and a woman so that you know an organization does not have to violate their conscience and religious beliefs as relates to the marriage or if there's a school that has a code of conduct for students from instance on sexual behavior as it relates to what their views of marriage is the federal government works his mistake. It should not punish them. Good news is that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that law and of course, plaintiffs were challenging. It appealed to the Supreme Court next Supreme Court declined to consider it. So the Mississippi laws on the books important to try to get those kinds of protections. I think throughout and in one point of clarification, John. But this is been demonized so inappropriately by the left.

Do not license anybody to do anything other than the follow the beliefs it simply prevents discrimination by the government against them so you know we all think that the government should punish people because they happen to be pro-life will think the government should punish somebody because they happen to support marriage between a man and woman does not affirmatively provide any new quote white to discriminate arriving at the heart of people. We should have a respect each other even when we strongly disagree in there should be a live and let live policy, but the government should not come in and punish organizations, employers, churches, because they disagree over the view of marriage and even Kennedy in the ruling on a political overturning the federal marriage Allstate marriage laws said oh people of faith should be able to get of the screeners.

Millions of Americans of goodwill who still believe marriage is between a man and woman we should agree to disagree. That's exactly what this law did and were to continue to support those kind of efforts.

They were there so much more. We can talk about just about how Tom what you think are the short and long-term outlooks for Americans who were concerned that all fundamental right to religious liberty has been quickly eroding. Do we have real calls for hope do we have continued cause for concern is someone who works on this issue on the front lines in our nations capital with respect. I do think that there is definitely reason for hope and I do think there is reason for concern. I do think that the left has gone almost apoplectic in its effort to try to use the heavy-handed government at the federal or the state of the local government to force people violate their deeply held religious beliefs you know and I and I want talk to Hill staffers, a congressman is a headlock you may or may not want to live like an Amish person, but shouldn't we all agreed that they should be able to live in accordance with their deeply held beliefs. Why should the federal government come in and squash them. There are exciting opportunities here in the president has come here last year he issued religious liberty, executive order, Department of Justice Dems put out a brilliant memo of guidance on religious liberty and were starting to see with the HHS example starting to see some of these heavy-handed Obama policies and regulations will back Americans who care about religious liberty cannot be silent. They cannot give up.

They have got to weigh in with the members of Congress is frankly the other left is very loud to encourage people. It does make a difference when you talk to your your your state legislator. It makes a difference when you talk a congressman or senator got away is God I continue to stand from the public and let your faith and and I think there's real opportunity here we are seeing signs of hope were seen example religious liberty is increasingly being protected. We just need to keep pushing forward as we finish our discussion today, working our listeners go to learn more about the great work that you and the family research Council do in our nations capital to protect religious liberty and make sure that so many of these other important issues heard by or federal lawmakers will definitely up. Please visit our website FRC.org, you know. We also, as Johnny said we work with you and other state leaders try to give support to you. It's really important that folks get connected so again FRC.org you can get a lot of information. All of these policies Gray Wolf that David Christiansen, I want to thank you so much for being with us on family policy matters and for the incredible work that you and FRC do on behalf of so many families across our nation. John policy matters and only listen to a radio show online resources and information about issues important to families and website families.org follow us on Twitter and Facebook