Posted on 03/31/2015 12:55:38 PM PDT by Kaslin
Theres a secret underneath Boycott Indianas false rhetoric about that states new religious freedom law: some of those involved also want to force you to help purchase and perform abortions.
Opponents of Indianas law (known as RFRA) say it discriminates, but neither it nor any of the nations 20 other RFRA laws mentions sexual orientation. They just create a general standard where religious claims sometimes win and sometimes lose.
To justify calling RFRA anti-gay, its opponents radically redefine discrimination without saying so. The ACLU campaigns to end the use of religion to discriminate. But read the fine print, and youll see they mean that if the government forces you to help or fund someone elses choice related to sex, and you say no, you have committed discrimination.
Thus the ACLU says we must end a hospital or doctors office decision to deny performing someones abortion. It is likewise discrimination to refuse to help same-sex couples planning their weddings.
Most people reject this bizarre idea. If you dont help someone elses abortion or same-sex ceremony, you havent discriminated; youve exercised your own freedom. RFRA opponents know that people dont accept this redefinition, so they simply dont tell people that when they accuse RFRAs of discrimination theyve changed the meaning of the word so they can coerce some people to help other peoples choices.
All the major activist groups that promote abortion or redefining marriage join the ACLU in their attempt to force people to participate in abortions and same-sex ceremonies. Planned Parenthood and other pro-abortion groups, which define all abortions as health care, heralded a joint statement one year ago with the Human Rights Campaign, the ACLU, and many related groups. They condemned all religious objections to discriminate, or those that deny health care, as all being cut from the same dangerous cloth.
The statement is an open air pact between the two movements. It says, well help you force people to assist with abortions if you help us force people to participate in ceremonies that, like abortion, utterly conflict with their most deeply held faith convictions.
This coalition is already succeeding in some legislatures. Just a few weeks ago, the District of Columbia passed two companion laws that would force Catholic schools to hire teachers who reject the Churchs teaching on marriage, and pro-life non-profit organizations to hire people who actively reject their position against abortion.
Unless Congress and the president disapprove these bills, the federal RFRA is the best chance to protect religious and pro-life groups from being forced by their political opponents to contradict their reason for existence.
Meanwhile, Oregon and Washington are considering laws that would force employers to cover late-term elective abortions in health insurance. California bureaucrats imposed the same policy a few months ago—and didnt even exempt churches.
At a recent Brookings Institution forum, I asked how the movements to promote abortion and the redefinition of marriage can partner to force people to assist with abortions and to participate in same-sex ceremonies when throughout the country laws prohibit such coercion. HRCs legal director, Sarah Warbelow, responded that only clergy can object to performing gay weddings—everyone else must provide any service that goes towards the wedding ceremony.
HRCs position is belied by recent efforts in Idaho and Houston, Texas, to punish pastors for their positions on marriage, but even on its face its bad enough. And its argument is consistent with the abortion giant Planned Parenthoods. Together these organizations would repeal decades of laws that insist no one can be forced either to perform or to counsel, suggest, recommend, assist, or in any way participate
in abortion or, in the case of the federal and state RFRAs, violate their religious convictions.
Everyone opposes discrimination. But the public will soon find some Easter eggs inside the basket of many of the organizations supporting Boycott Indiana: a redefinition of discrimination to force people to assist with abortions and same-sex ceremonies. RFRAs are the best defense against their coercive agenda.
This country is irretrievably FUBAR.
I like Indiana Governor Pence but it appears he’s gonna cave like Brewer did in Arizona. The values talk goes out the window when there’s the threat of a boycott. The shallow, deceptive media make it sound like if a gay person comes into a diner or auto store, they’re going to be denied service. Who cares about sexual orientation at most businesses? This is about forcing florists, bakers, photographers to violate their consciences by working gay weddings.
Why can’t Pence communicate this?! Why doesn’t he (and all for religious freedom) bring up the example of the gay wedding in which they were trying to force a baker to write filthy slurs against the Bible on a “wedding” cake?!!!
Rolls right off the tongue, Governor. Man up and try it sometime.
“Summary: Freedom of Speech or the Press is the freedom from government officials making speech or writings they find too critical of their affairs a seditious crime. Under common law, people had to be careful of any criticism they wrote or said about government policy, laws or official conduct out of fear of being charged with a seditious crime where truth would be of no defense.”
“it was not to be permitted to any man to make the people dissatisfied with the Government under which he lives. Henry VIII once made it a high treason crime to suggest his marriage to Anne of Cleves was valid even though it was the truth.”
http://www.federalistblog.us/2008/10/freedom_of_speech_and_of_the_press/
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