<[link removed]>

I hope you saw my latest weekly column.



ROGER WICKER: Government Must Respect Rights Of Conscience
<[link removed]>





Religious freedom is a hallmark of our American way of life. Since our
nation’s founding, we have been a safe haven for persecuted believers from all
over the globe, inspiring other nations to follow our lead. As a U.S. Senator,
I have fought to advance religious freedom at home and abroad, including for
Christians who fled Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover in 2021. In the
coming days, I will co-chair the International Religious Freedom Summit in
Washington to raise awareness of the challenges confronting faith communities
worldwide. Unfortunately, religious freedom is also coming under attack here in
America as left-wing government officials seek to impose their will on people
of conscience.



Biden Continues Obama’s War on Religious Freedom



In 2011, President Obama declared war on religious freedom when his
Administration tried to force religious schools, businesses, and even Catholic
nuns to pay for abortion-inducing drugs in their health insurance plans.
Subsequent judicial rulings made clear that the Administration had overreached.
Hobby Lobby, a Christian-owned business, sued the Obama Administration and
eventually prevailed at the Supreme Court. Religious freedom later found a
strong ally in the Trump Administration, but President Biden is now picking up
where Mr. Obama left off, attempting to steamroll those who do not share his
values.



During Mr. Biden’s first months in office, his Administration created a
radical new policy on par with the Obama mandate. This policy required
religious doctors and nurses to violate their consciences and medical judgment
to perform life-altering “gender reassignment” surgeries on children –
something that millions of Americans find appalling. Thankfully, the
Administration was stopped when two federal courts blocked the policy. Yet
there is no sign the President will let up in his attacks on people who wish to
live out their faith freely.



Religious Freedom Threatened in Liberal States



Unfortunately, some states are showing just as much disregard for religious
freedom as the President. In Ohio and Virginia, Christian teachers have been
fired for refusing to use transgender pronouns in class. In Washington State, a
florist was fined and forced to pay damages to a same-sex couple because she
declined to provide flowers for their wedding, which she could not in good
conscience support. Similarly, in Colorado, a Christian cake shop owner named
Jack Phillips was sued multiple times by the state for declining to make custom
cakes celebrating a same-sex wedding and a “gender transition.” He ultimately
prevailed twice in court – once at the Supreme Court – but he is now being
targeted a third time by state officials. Mr. Phillips summed it up well:
“Colorado just seemed to be looking for opportunities to punish me for my
faith.”



We should all take these threats to religious freedom seriously, and I have
actively sought to use my influence as a U.S. Senator to defend this basic
liberty. During the pandemic, I authored an amicus brief in federal court
supporting the right of a Baptist church in Washington, D.C., to gather in
person – and the church ultimately prevailed. I also recently signed an amicus
brief supporting Lorie Smith, a Colorado web designer who recently went to the
Supreme Court to defend her right to make websites only for weddings she can
endorse. In addition, I pushed vigorously for a religious freedom amendment to
a recent marriage bill in Congress. And I have voted to confirm hundreds of
conservative judges in the Senate who are now on the front lines protecting our
constitutional rights. I will always stand with those who defend one of our
most sacred traditions and keep the right to religious freedom unimpeded.



You can click here to share my Op-Ed with your friends on Facebook!
<[link removed]>



Thank you for your support,

Senator Roger Wicker






Donate
<[link removed]>
Please mail contributions to P.O. Box 64, Jackson, MS 39205.


Paid for by Wicker for Senate


You can also keep up with Roger Wicker on Twitter
<[link removed]> or Facebook.
<[link removed]>


Don't want to receive our emails anymore? Unsubscribe
<[link removed]>