Workplace Religious Freedom Act alert from Americans United

[bobbieinok]

for Separation of Church and State

....
WRFA could:

· Undermine civil rights laws and employer nondiscrimination policies and practices. WRFA could strengthen the legal basis for employees who want to invoke the religious accommodation requirements to violate state and local civil rights laws that protect against marital status or sexual orientation discrimination. Moreover, employees could use WRFA to claim that their religious beliefs require them not to have to comply with important voluntary employer policies that go beyond the scope of applicable laws. For example, many employers have their own civil rights policies, including anti-harassment and diversity training policies, that provide key protections against discriminatory harassment in the workplace. Employers may face significant difficulties under WRFA for protecting employees or third parties -- particularly religious minorities – from religious harassment caused by unbridled proselytization by religiously-motivated employees.

· Harm the health or safety of people seeking health care or other important information. WRFA will make it much easier for employees to win harmful religious claims that they are now losing under the applicable Title VII standard. For example, a maternity ward nurse refused to scrub for an emergency caesarian section based on her religious beliefs and left a woman “standing in a pool of blood,” a nurse insisted on telling an AIDS patient and his partner her views of salvation and that God “doesn’t like the homosexual,” and a police officer refused to guard an abortion clinic. Further, employees would be granted, through WRFA, a significant predicate for asserting that their religious beliefs prevent them from providing emergency reproductive health care services or HIV-related counseling.

more....




http://capwiz.com/au/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6007941

[iconoclastic cat]

1. I sent it, and I included this note:

Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney: In your estimation, how far are you from being able to make your fanatical version of Christianity both mandatory and the basis for a new theocracy? I refuse to believe that Mr. Santorum simply wrote some ill-conceived legislation and passed it around to his own lackeys; you really feel that your beliefs must be shared by everyone under the threat of death. How long until we must sign loyalty oaths to avoid summary execution?

[iconoclastic cat]

2. Rewrite:

How far are the extremists in this country from being able to make a fanatical version of Christianity both mandatory and the basis for a new theocracy? I refuse to believe that Mr. Santorum simply wrote some ill-conceived legislation and passed it around to his own lackeys; there are many who appear to think that their beliefs must be shared by everyone else under the threat of death. How long until we must sign loyalty oaths to avoid summary execution? Or, perhaps these fanatics can just force me to have my mental health screened, at which time I will be placed in a sanitarium.

Thanks.

Mr. Durbin: Stop this crazy thing!
***

[mongo]

4. You got that right

Or, perhaps these fanatics can just force me to have my mental health screened, at which time I will be placed in a sanitarium.

But at least I know that when I am institutionalized, I'll be among friends....

[mongo]

3. Thanks for posting

Completed the email and forwarded to 5 friends.

And set up to get the e-mail alerts. This must be the only site where I am not set up to get the alerts.

Thanks again!

[bain_sidhe]

5. Thanks for the heads up! First I've heard of this bill

**edited for formatting**

email sent!

My "letter" (revised the "suggested text" a little - the first and last paragraphs are required by the form):

As your constituent, I urge you to oppose the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (S. 893). This broad-based legislation would have a harmful and dangerous effect on employees’ civil rights.

And not only employees - in public service occupations, members of the public could be put at risk by an employee's "religious refusal" to provide services.

Religious liberty is one of the most cherished features of American life. But there must be a balance between that freedom, and the freedom of co-workers and customer to "be let alone" when their beliefs differ. No employee should be allowed to discriminate against or harass their coworkers or customers simply because that they can claim a religious reason for discriminating. And there must especially be a balance between that freedom and the responsibilities of public service. Certainly no police officer, health care worker or counselor should ever be able to jeopardize another person’s health or safety by claiming a religious reason for refusing to do his or her job.

WRFA, as currently drafted, would undermine - not protect - the civil rights of employees AND members of the public.

Once again, I urge you to oppose the “Workplace Religious Freedom Act” (S. 893). This is an important issue and one I will be following. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.