“President Trump’s executive order is fundamentally un-American. Not only does the president distort the true meaning of religious freedom in this order, he builds on the deeply misguided Hobby Lobby ruling, which created a new legal framework for gender inequality and has allowed women’s medical decisions to be determined not by them and their physicians, but by the religious and personal beliefs of their employers. This policy represents an intrusion into personal liberty and privacy in direct contradiction with basic American principles.

“We also find Trump’s attack on the Johnson Amendment profoundly disturbing. Separation of church and state is at the core of our national identity, and rolling back the Johnson Amendment weakens that critical division. Under current law, houses of worship and clergy have no shortage of ways to exercise their First Amendment rights by speaking out on political issues and supporting or opposing public policies in accordance with the values of their faith. And contrary to the president’s assertion, the Johnson Amendment is in fact widely popular among Americans of faith.

“Time and again, President Trump has demonstrated a frightening willingness to betray the founding principles of our nation to cater to the demands of far-right ideologues. We will continue to stand with the LGBTQ community, supporters of reproductive rights and our fellow Americans of all faiths against the wrongheaded, discriminatory policies of the Trump administration. We expect more and similar attacks, and we stand ready to fight.” 

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