GOP Legislators to Trump: You Promised to Protect Religious Liberty. It's Time to Deliver

Peter LaBarbera : Apr 28, 2017
LifeSiteNews

"Because religious liberty is of such importance and under such threat, we believe that the draft executive order should be signed without delay and that all of the protections discussed in this letter should be enshrined permanently into our law," the letter states.

[LifeSiteNews] — Fifty-two Republican Congressmen have asked President Trump to issue the Feb. 2 draft "executive order" defending religious liberty that was shelved, reportedly with the influence of Trump's daughter, Ivanka, after being pilloried by the pro-LGBT Left. (Photo Credit: American Life League via LifeSiteNews)

In an April 5 letter, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Rep. Mark Meadows, R-NC, and 50 other GOP congressmen asked the president to live up to his campaign promise to defend religious liberty by taking executive and legislative actions to "provide a shield from federal assaults on religious freedom."

"Because religious liberty is of such importance and under such threat, we believe that the draft executive order should be signed without delay and that all of the protections discussed in this letter should be enshrined permanently into our law," the letter states.

Conscience Protection Act

In addition to the proposed executive order, the House members asked for Trump's help to "adopt executive and legislative protections that prohibit government discrimination against healthcare providers that decline to participate in or perform abortion."

It approvingly cites H.R. 644, the Conscience Protection Act, sponsored by Rep. Diane Black, R-TN, which it says Trump has "pledged to sign into law." Rep. Black has reintroduced the bill, which passed the House last year by a 245-182 vote along party lines.

Another bill touted by the Congressmen is H.R. 781, the Free Speech Fairness Act, which protects non-profits and churches from "the specter of an [IRS] investigation for incidental references to political events or candidates."

Threats to Religious Liberty Growing

The letter reminds Trump that, "During your campaign, you repeatedly expressed your commitment to defending religious liberties enshrined in our founding documents stating that, '… the first priority of my administration will be to preserve and protect our religious liberty. The First Amendment guarantees our right to practice our faith as we see fit … all the time, always, wherever.' We share that sentiment in full and request that you sign the draft executive order on religious liberty, as reported by numerous [media] outlets on February 2, 2017, in order to protect millions of Americans whose religious freedom has been attacked or threatened over the last eight years."

The draft executive order, which was leaked to the leftist publication The Nation on February 1, quickly earned plaudits from leading social conservatives like Heritage Foundation's Ryan Anderson and Erick Erickson, founder of Red State. But LGBT activists and their allies blasted away at it, characterizing the floated Trump order as inimical to "gay" and "transgender" "rights."

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