News from the Week Jan. 2 - Jan. 6, 2023

Friend:

Happy new year! I hope 2023 finds you healthy and happy – and inspired to play a role in our campaign for a national recommitment to the separation of church and state. I’m excited for some big plans Americans United has in store this year, including a major announcement in just a few weeks. Stay tuned!

Amidst the holidays, record-breaking weather and airline hassles at the end of 2022, you may have missed some good news from the Biden administration: The Department of Health and Human Services announced it plans to rescind parts of the Trump-era Denial of Care Rule. ([link removed]) This dangerous rule invited health care workers to deny medical treatment and services to patients because of the workers’ personal religious or moral beliefs.

You may recall that Americans United and our allies filed—and won—lawsuits back in 2019 to challenge this rule on the grounds that no one should be denied medical treatment because of someone else’s religious beliefs. As I said in an NPR interview last week ([link removed]), religious extremists championed this rule as a way of advancing their own power and denying care to LGBTQ people and those of us in need of reproductive health care. In reality, the rule put every one of us at risk of being refused care, even in life-threatening situations.

Because of our lawsuits, the courts blocked the Denial of Care Rule from going into effect for now, but it technically is still on the books, so the new proposal is a win for church-state separation.

With your support, we’ll continue to push the administration to continue to undo the many harmful Trump-era policies. We’re also ready to fight damaging legislation in the new Congress and in state legislatures, even as we advocate for bills that protect religious freedom and the separation of church and state.

One way you can participate in these efforts: Join us on April 22-24 for the Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF). If you attend in person in Washington, D.C., you’ll have an opportunity to participate in Lobby Day on Capitol Hill and urge Members of Congress to defend church-state separation. There also are ways to participate in SRF virtually – learn more here: [link removed]. I hope to see you in April!

With hope and resolve,

Rachel K. Laser
President and CEO


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America’s Religious Makeup Is Changing. Congress’ Is Not.
Pew Research Center found that 88% of the new Congress identifies as Christian. The tendency to legislate according to religion is common among Christian Nationalists, and the default faith they’d like us all to live by is their own.
READ MORE>> [link removed]

Three Things Your Friends May Not Know About Separation Of Church And State.
In her monthly column, AU President and CEO Rachel Laser notes that there’s a reason AU’s founders cited protection of public education as part of the organization’s chief goals during our founding in 1947: no separation, no public education.
READ MORE>> [link removed]

Challenges And Opportunities: What Lies Ahead For Church-State Separation In 2023.
Here are some thoughts about what might lie ahead for church-state separation in the coming year.
READ MORE>> [link removed]


Get Involved—Check Out AU’s Upcoming Events:
Find additional details and a full list of events at [link removed]

Jan. 9, 7 p.m. ET (Virtual & In Person): “Religious Freedom Without Favor, Equality Without Exception,” presented by AU Senior Advisor and Church & State Editor Rob Boston. Sponsored by the Humanists and Freethinkers of Fairfield County, Connecticut. Sign up here: [link removed]

April 22 - April 24 (Virtual & In Person): The Summit for Religious Freedom (SRF) is a collaborative conference that will unify supporters, activists, organizers, policy and legal experts, academics, political and religious leaders, and committed people of faith and of no religion to fight for religious freedom. Sign up here: [link removed]


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