Religious Liberty and the 2016 Presidential Election

Last updated on: April 29, 2015 at 7:55 pm by Guest Contributor

Religious Liberty and the 2016 Presidential Election 2015-04-29T19:55:25-05:00 Guest Contributor

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With the 2016 presidential election battles looming, the conservative Republicans are arming themselves with deceitful rhetoric to fight for the nomination. They seek a platform focused on abortion, “religious liberty,” and same-sex marriage. That is really only a two-issue platform, because the “religious liberty” they want most is to (1) discriminate against the LGBTQ community in the law and the private sphere and (2) outlaw abortion and make contraception as hard to obtain as possible, putting women at a medical and health disadvantage. Thus, the generic “religious liberty” in the middle is really just rhetoric.

In fact, the conservative Republicans’ “religious liberty” is not liberty for all. Just for them. So if your faith takes you down different paths—for example, if it requires (1) fair and equal treatment of all regardless of sexual orientation; or (2) sensible and responsible family planning in the best interests of the family and children; or (3) a loving home for all children, regardless of the sexual orientation of the couple; or (4) that the mother’s life and health be preserved in the abortion context—you are out of luck. Conservative Republicans will not be fighting for your rights under cover of their glorious mantle of “religious liberty.”

The Evidence in the States

Where is the evidence for my thesis that “religious liberty” is being used to sanitize a drive to discriminate? Simply look at the fight for state RFRAs across the United States last year and already this one, including Arizona (2014), Kansas (withdrawn), Michigan (no action in state senate), Indiana (pending), and Georgia (pending). They were sponsored by Republicans opposed to same-sex marriage, and many of them expanded the existing RFRA formula to include rights for private business owners to refuse business based on their faith. Who, in this era, is agitating to refuse to do business with anyone? Answer: Conservative Christian business owners who do not want to provide products or services for gay marriages, and, in many cases, who simply don’t want to serve the LGBTQ community at any level.

While the RFRA bills did not explicitly refer to same-sex marriage, it was obvious, in the political climate, what was really going on. Because the civil rights community has mobilized against these threats, the only one that passed was in Mississippi.

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