News From The Week Of October 26 – October 30, 2020

Friend:

With Election Day fast approaching, I’ve been reflecting a lot on what it means to be American, and which groups have traditionally been allowed on the “inside” versus those who have been excluded.

In my November Church & State magazine column, I described two things we must do as part of our fight for a more inclusive America: acknowledge the fact that our country has not always lived up to its ideals, and use American symbols and ideals to advance our vision for the country. Click here to read more:[link removed]

At Americans United, we proudly tout how very American our mission of religious freedom for all is. But we also highlight the many ways our country has and continues to fall short of achieving this ideal. And we never stop holding America accountable to the greatness it promises.

Together, we fought hard to stop Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation as a Supreme Court justice. We fought even with the odds stacked against us because it was important to stand for our principles and build momentum for our movement. And now that keeping religion and government separate just became even more critical to the defense of our constitutional right to religious freedom – your involvement is more critical than ever.

The most important thing you can do now is simple: Vote! ([link removed])

Over 80 million people have already voted early. If you’re one of them, then take the next step and ensure your friends and family vote too. Exercising our right to vote is the best way to strengthen our democracy and all the principles of our Constitution.

Election Day is Tuesday, but AU’s work doesn’t take a pause when the polls close. In fact, the very next morning, on November 4th, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a profoundly important case, Fulton v. City of Philadelphia. In it, a taxpayer-funded foster care agency is claiming a religious freedom right to discriminate against qualified families that are LGBTQ or don’t follow the agency's religious tenets.

AU has submitted a friend-of-the-court brief ([link removed]) in this case on behalf of our clients Aimee Maddonna and Fatma Marouf and Bryn Esplin, along with other prospective foster parents discriminated against by foster care agencies in their states. The outcome of this case could have massive implications for the future of religious exemptions to antidiscrimination laws. We will be watching the arguments closely.

With so much at stake, these next few days are sure to be tense and anxious for many of us. But no matter what happens, AU stands ready and eager to continue our 73-year legacy of defending church-state separation, and that’s thanks to your enduring support.

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO

Your Vote Is Your Voice – Lift It Up!
Voting is especially important this year because we’re fighting for religious freedom like our rights depend on it – because they do! Much is at stake. Don’t sit this one out.
READ MORE » [link removed]

People In Need Should Get Help – Not Discrimination Or Pressure To Pray:
During the 1990s, the federal government and many states began aggressively promoting the idea that religious groups, backed by taxpayer funding, could serve as agents of the government in tackling various social problems such as poverty, substance use disorders, homelessness, chronic unemployment and others.
READ MORE » [link removed]

Barrett And Senate Republicans Prioritize Her Religious Freedom Over Mine:
Americans United Youth Organizing Fellow Claire Davidson Miller describes how the testimony during Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing made clear that Claire’s religious freedom, not Barrett’s, is under attack.
READ MORE » [link removed]

AU’s Youth Fellows: Barrett’s Views On Religious Freedom, Health Care Will Harm Our Communities:
Members of Americans United’s Youth Organizing Fellowship offer their perspectives on how Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's disregard for church-state separation will affect the lives of diverse Americans.
READ MORE » [link removed]

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Americans United for Separation of Church and State
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