Joined by leaders
from the civil rights, social justice and faith communities, Congressman
Bobby Scott (VA-03), Ranking Member of the Committee on
Education and the Workforce, and Congressman Joe Kennedy III (MA-04)
today introduced legislation to amend the Religious Freedom Restoration
Act (RFRA). The
Do No Harm Act
would clarify that no one can
seek religious exemption from laws guaranteeing fundamental civil and
legal rights. It comes in response to continued efforts across the
country to cite religious belief as grounds to undermine
Civil Rights Act protections, limit access to healthcare, and refuse
service to minority populations.
Specifically, the Do No Harm Act
would limit the use of RFRA in cases involving discrimination, child
labor and abuse, wages and collective bargaining, access to health care,
public accommodations,
and social services provided through government contract.
“When Congress
passed RFRA in 1993, the goal was to protect religious freedom for
minority groups by requiring the government to demonstrate a compelling
interest and to use a policy that was the least restrictive
means,” said Congressman Bobby Scott. “Since then, the law has
been misconstrued as allowing the sincerely-held religious beliefs of
one person to trump the civil rights of others. Civil rights are a
compelling government interest, and we cannot allow
so-called ‘religious freedom,’ ‘religious liberty’ or ‘faith-based
initiatives’ to invalidate the very laws designed to correct the
generations of injustices inflicted on minorities. The Do No Harm Act
restores the original intent of RFRA.”
“The right of Americans to freely and fully express our faith is sacred in this country,” said
Congressman Joe Kennedy III. “But in order to guarantee that
liberty for every citizen, our system must ensure that my religious
freedom does not infringe on yours or do you harm. While not its
original intent, the
Religious Freedom Restoration Act has become a vehicle for those
seeking to impose their beliefs on others or claim that the tenants of
their faith justify discrimination. The
Do No Harm Act will restore the balance between our right to religious freedom and our promise of equal protection under law.”
In 1993, Congress passed the
Religious Freedom Restoration Act in response to a Supreme Court
case undermining the rights of religious minorities. But in recent
years, the misapplication of RFRA has been used to deny health care
coverage for employees, claim exemptions to civil rights
law, and complicate justice in child labor and abuse cases.
More after the cut.
