References

Trump accomplishments

2017
On January 23, President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy, which blocks funding for international organizations that perform or promote abortion. The new policy, known as Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA), covered $8.8 billion in family planning and global health funds given to organizations abroad that do not perform or promote abortion.

On February 22, the Department of Education (ED), in conjunction with the Department of Justice (DOJ), rescinded President Obama’s guidance that required public schools to allow students who identify as transgender to use the bathrooms and showers of their choice.
On April 7, President Trump’s nominee Neil Gorsuch was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice Gorsuch had already developed a reputation as an originalist who would rule the right way on religious liberty issues. Gorsuch is representative of President Trump’s judicial nominees overall.

On May 4, President Trump signed an Executive Order promoting free speech and religious liberty (known as the “Religious Liberty Executive Order”). This order made religious liberty an administration priority and required all federal agencies to take action to protect it. The order also addressed conscience protections, forthcoming guidance from the DOJ, and religious liberty in the context of free speech.

On August 25, President Trump announced changes to the Obama administration’s Department of Defense (DoD) policy that had allowed military personnel to serve even if they openly self-identified as transgender. (A DOD study found the Obama administration’s policy to be detrimental to military readiness, lethality, and unit cohesion.)

On September 7, the DOJ filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court defending the religious freedom rights of baker Jack Phillips in Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. This filing is representative of other DOJ actions in defense of religious freedom that took place throughout the Trump administration.

On October 6, the DOJ issued guidance and an implementing memo (as instructed by the Religious Liberty Executive Order) to all federal agencies explaining religious freedom law and how religious liberty must be protected. This guidance laid out a broad defense of religious liberty based on multiple statutes and provided each federal agency with guidelines for protecting religious liberty.
On October 6, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed two regulations to deal with the Obamacare “HHS contraceptive mandate” that had violated conscience and religious liberty for years. These new regulations exempted organizations with moral or religious objections to purchasing insurance that includes coverage of contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs and devices.

2018
On January 16, the DOJ filed an amicus brief with the District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on behalf of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. The Archdiocese had wanted to promote a religious message during the Christmas holiday but had been denied advertising space within the District’s public transit system.

On January 18, the DOJ filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue defending the First Amendment rights of parents and students who attend a religious school to participate in a private school scholarship program.

On January 18, HHS announced a new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division within its Office of Civil Rights (OCR). This new Division was established to enforce federal laws that protect conscience rights and religious freedom.

On January 19, HHS issued a new proposed regulation on conscience protections related to abortion. Specifically, the regulation proposed implementing 25 laws that protect pro-life healthcare entities against discrimination by federal agencies – or state or local governments receiving federal funds – due to their objections to participating in abortion, sterilization, and other morally objectionable procedures.

On January 19, the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) rescinded an Obama administration letter that restricted states’ flexibility in removing abortion providers from federal healthcare programs if they did not meet the state’s qualification standards.

On January 24, Sam Brownback was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. President Trump demonstrated the administration’s commitment to the issue of religious freedom by choosing Brownback, someone with gravitas and experience in this area.

On March 23, the White House and the DoD issued a new policy allowing existing personnel to remain in the military while preventing those diagnosed with “gender dysphoria” or who had undergone gender transition surgery from joining the military. Those who were transgender and stable for 36 months were allowed to join so long as they served in accordance with their biological sex.

On April 26, Mike Pompeo was confirmed as Secretary of State. In choosing Pompeo for this position, President Trump chose someone who cared deeply about religious liberty and would make its advancement a priority.

On April 30, during a press conference with Nigeria’s president, President Trump raised the issue of religious freedom and the killing of Christians in that country—bringing attention to an issue that other government officials had largely neglected.

On May 8, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. The order directed agencies that didn’t already have a Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives to designate a Liaison for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives.

On May 11, the Federal Bureau of Prisons updated its Transgender Offender Manual to say that offenders’ housing status was to be designated by biological sex and that gender identity would rarely be an appropriate way to designate offenders’ housing.

On May 22, HHS issued a new proposed regulation reversing the Title X family planning regulations implemented by President Clinton. The proposed regulation would restore the separation of abortion services from the federal Title X family planning program, which President Reagan first implemented. The proposed regulation would also ensure parents are more involved in minors’ decisions to obtain services from Title X clinics.

On June 13, the DOJ announced the Place to Worship Initiative, designed to increase enforcement and public awareness of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUPIA). This federal law protects places of worship and other religious uses of property. Through this initiative, federal prosecutors would receive training about legal protections for houses of worship.

On July 24-26, the State Department held the first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. Political and civil society leaders from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C., for a three-day summit to discuss religious freedom issues and solutions. The Potomac Declaration, issued at the Ministerial, made a strong statement about the state of religious freedom around the globe and provided a plan of action for promoting global religious freedom. The United States also announced the International Religious Freedom Fund (to provide emergency assistance to victims of religiously motivated discrimination and abuse around the world) and the Genocide Recovery and Persecution Response Initiative (which has provided nearly $373 million to help persecuted ethnic and religious minorities in northern Iraq restore their communities). The United States was among 25 countries that signed a statement condemning terrorism and the abuse of religious believers by non-state actors.

On July 30, the DOJ announced a Religious Liberty Task Force to fully implement religious liberty guidance and policy across all components of the DOJ.

On August 1, the Trump administration relied on Executive Order 13818 (which builds on Global Magnitsky Act authority)to sanction two Turkish officials over the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson due to his Christian faith. This Executive Order ultimately resulted in Pastor Brunson’s release.

On September 24, HHS terminated a $15,900 contract with Advanced Bioscience Resources to procure fetal tissue from aborted babies for research. The termination of this contract led HHS to announce an audit of all acquisitions and research involving human fetal tissue to ensure consistency with statutes and regulations.

On October 6, President Trump’s nominee Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Kavanaugh was the second constitutional originalist the president saw confirmed to the Court.

On November 7, HHS finalized two regulations to protect conscience and religious liberty from long-running problems with the Obamacare “HHS contraceptive mandate.” These two final regulations exempted organizations with either a moral or religious objection to purchasing insurance with coverage of contraceptives and abortion-causing drugs and devices. The regulations took effect on January 14, 2019.

On November 9, HHS proposed a new regulation to address an abortion surcharge hidden in many plans purchased on the Obamacare exchange. This proposed regulation enforced the requirement that abortion surcharges are to be collected separately from other insurance premiums. This requirement was not closely followed under the Obama administration.

On December 26, the DOJ filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court defending a publicly displayed cross-shaped veteran’s memorial that had been challenged as a violation of the Establishment Clause. This position was representative of the Trump administration’s originalist approach to the Constitution concerning First Amendment rights and other issues. Such an approach results in legal analysis that interprets the law rather than injecting policy preferences into it.

2019
On January 18, HHS issued a notice of violation to California for requiring pregnancy resource centers to post notices about how to obtain an abortion, in violation of the pr o-life Weldon and Coates-Snowe Amendments. This marked the first time that the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division at HHS found a state in violation of these laws. This demonstrated the administration’s commitment to enforcing conscience protections and its pro-life priorities.

On January 19, at the request of 169 members of Congress and 49 senators, President Trump sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in which he promised to veto any legislation that weakens current pro-life federal policies and laws. This letter was a message to the new Democrat majority in the House that longstanding pro-life protections like the Hyde Amendment and safeguards protecting the conscience rights of health care providers are not negotiable.

On February 22, HHS announced final rule changes governing the Title X family planning program. Consistent with federal law, these rule changes ensured that Title X clinics would be financially and physically separate from abortion facilities and would not refer patients for abortions. Since the implementation of the rule, Planned Parenthood and several pro-abortion states voluntarily decided to withdraw from the program rather than quit performing abortions or referring patients for abortions.

On March 8, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback criticized China’s poor religious freedom record in a speech he delivered in Hong Kong.
On April 12, the Trump administration’s policy on military service by those with gender dysphoria went into effect. This policy helped halt the deterioration of military readiness, lethality, and unit cohesion caused by social experimentation in the military.

On May 2, HHS announced a final rule to expand the structure in which federal conscience laws are enforced. In 2011, President Obama issued a rule that enforced only three federal conscience provisions. The new regulation under President Trump covered 25 existing statutes, enforced by the new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division of HHS’ OCR.

On May 5, at the World Health Assembly, the Trump administration issued a joint statement on behalf of the United States and eight other nations calling on other countries to join an effort to focus on women’s health issues that unify rather than create dissension among members (like abortion and sexual and reproductive health). This statement was the first action taken under the administration’s new Protecting Life in Global Health Policy (PLGHP), which seeks to build a global coalition to promote women’s health while also protecting unborn life and strengthening the family. This policy works in conjunction with the PLGHA program, which restricts funding for organizations abroad that perform or promote abortion.

On May 24, HHS proposed a new regulation clarifying that discrimination on the basis of sex in section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act was to be interpreted under the plain meaning of the word. Therefore, it does not include “gender identity” or “termination of pregnancy” as set forth by a 2016 Obama administration regulation. The HHS regulation would continue to enforce existing civil rights protections; however, it clarified that the federal government would not force physicians to participate in gender reassignment surgeries or abortions.

On June 5, after an extensive audit into fetal tissue research, the Trump administration announced a major change in the enforcement of research contracts. HHS would no longer conduct intramural (internal) research using tissue from aborted babies and greatly increase the ethics rules and safeguards governing extramural (external) fetal tissue research contracts. All new external contracts would be subject to a congressionally authorized ethics advisory board, making it much more difficult for fetal tissue research contracts to be awarded by the National Institute of Health.

On July 16-18, the State Department held the second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a new global initiative, the International Religious Freedom Alliance, meant to provide a way for like-minded countries to work together to advance religious freedom. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai gave a compelling speech condemning the use of technology to track and control the lives of religious minorities. The United States was among 14 signatory countries on a statement of concern about technology and religious freedom; one of 34 countries that signed a statement of concern on counterterrorism as a pretext for the repression of religious freedom; one of 27 countries that signed a statement condemning blasphemy, apostasy, or other laws that restrict religious freedom; and one of 46 countries that signed a statement that called upon government officials to condemn attacks on places of worship and to work with religious communities to protect these places. At this event, the State Departmentand the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also announced new religious freedom training programs for foreign service officers.

On July 16, the State Department placed targeted sanctions on Burmese military officials for their human rights and religious freedom violations committed against the Rohingya Muslim population.

On July 18, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and HHS Secretary Alex Azar issued a joint letter on international partnerships that called states to join a coalition of countries that seek to advocate against pro-abortion policies at the World Health Organization and the United Nations (UN).
In August, the DOJ filed amicus briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court in two important religious liberty cases, G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Bostock v. Clayton County/Altitude Express, Inc. v. Zarda. Through these filings, the DOJ advanced a biologically binary definition of sex and those who operate accordingly, whether because of science or religious belief.

On August 15, the Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a new regulation clarifying the scope and application of religious exemptions for federal contractors. Under the Obama administration, the scope of religious exemption at DOL was severely narrowed. The current DOL relied on the history of our nation’s preservation of religious liberty, the First Amendment, and U.S. Supreme Court decisions to re-invigorate the exemption to its historical and constitutional parameters.

On August 28, the HHS OCR issued a notice of violation to the University of Vermont Medical Center for forcing a nurse to participate in an abortion despite a conscience objection. This marked the third time the HHS Religious Freedom Division under President Trump investigated a conscience complaint related to participating in or promoting abortion.

On September 10, the State Department placed targeted sanctions on Russian officials for their religious freedom violations and torture of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

On September 23, President Trump hosted a meeting during the UN General Assembly and gave a speech solely on the topic of religious freedom. During the speech, he announced a U.S. policy initiative to protect places of worship, pledging an additional $25 million in funding to protect religious sites and relics. President Trump also announced the United States would form a coalition within the business community to protect religious freedom. This was the first time a U.S. president hosted a meeting focused solely on religious freedom at the UN.

On September 24, President Trump discussed the need to protect religious freedom during his UN General Assembly speech. He also discussed China and Iran, two major violators of religious freedom.

On September 25, HHS Secretary Alex Azar delivered a statement at the UN General Assembly stating that there is no international right to abortion and that the United States does not support ambiguous terms like “sexual and reproductive health” in UN documents.

On October 7, the Department of Commerce blacklisted 28 Chinese companies whose surveillance technology products are used to systematically oppress and control—and violate the religious freedom of—Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, China.

On October 11, Attorney General Barr delivered a striking defense of religious liberty at Notre Dame Law School. He noted, “[t]he imperative of protecting religious freedom was not just a nod in the direction of piety. It reflects the Framers’ belief that religion was indispensable to sustaining our free system of government.” He proceeded to remind the audience that religion gives us the “right rules to live by.” Barr highlighted the recent attacks on religious liberty and how the DOJ, under his leadership, fought back and protected religious liberty.

On November 14, the U.S. government led a statement on behalf of itself and 10 other countries at the Nairobi Summit, once again calling upon the international community to focus on areas of consensus instead of divisive issues like abortion and sexual and reproductive health.

On November 19, HHS issued a rule removing burdensome requirements that all grantees, including those that are faith-based, must accept same-sex marriages and profess gender identity as valid in order to be eligible to participate in grant programs. This included the adoption and foster care space, where these requirements had been used to shut down faith-based providers of foster care and adoption.

On November 27, President Trump signed the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act into law, affirming Hong Kong’s semi-autonomous status and protecting against Chinese government encroachment, which is a threat to Hong Kong’s religious freedom.

On December 19, the Treasury Department sanctioned two Iranian judges responsible for human rights violations. One of the judges was known to violate the rights of Iran’s Christian and Baha’i religious minority communities.

On December 20, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a final regulation to address the abortion surcharge hidden in many plans purchased on the Obamacare exchange. This final rule aligned federal regulations with section 1303 of the Affordable Care Act, ensuring that consumers knew their health care plan covered abortion and that funding for abortion was kept separate from all other covered services.

2020
On January 16, HHS Secretary Alex Azar hosted 34 countries for a meeting on how to promote women’s health and protect the lives of the unborn. This meeting followed an invitation sent by Secretary Azar and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to 70 different countries inviting them to join a coalition to oppose international efforts to enshrine abortion as a human right.

On January 16, ED and the DOJ issued guidance on constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression in public elementary and secondary schools. This guidance ensured that prayer in schools is properly protected and not unconstitutionally prohibited or curtailed.

On January 16, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) sent a memo to the heads of executive departments and agencies providing guidance on the administration's Religious Liberty Executive Order. This memo required the agencies to review the order and publish policies on how they will comply.

On January 17, nine federal agencies (the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Homeland Security, Veterans Affairs, Justice, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Housing and Urban Development, along with the S. Agency for International Development) proposed rules leveling the playing field for faith-based organizations wishing to participate in grant programs or become a contractor. The rules eliminated two requirements placed on faith-based organizations that were not placed on secular organizations.

On January 22, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at HHS approved a family planning waiver for Texas to implement a state-run Medicaid program that excludes abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. This made Texas the first state to receive Medicaid funding for a family planning program that did not include abortion providers.

On January 24, President Trump became the first sitting president to give remarks in person at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. In his address, he stated the eternal truth that every child is a sacred gift from God and reiterated his effort to defend the dignity and sanctity of every human life.

On January 24, HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced live at Family Research Council’s ProLifeCon event that HHS had issued a notice of violation to California for violating the federal Weldon Amendment. California’s abortion coverage mandate deprived over 28,000 residents of health insurance plans that did not cover abortion. This marked the second time HHS issued a notice of violation to California for violating federal conscience laws and was the fourth enforcement action taken by the HHS OCR’s Conscience and Religious Freedom Division.
In February, the Trump administration filled the role of Special Advisor to the President on International Religious Freedom within the National Security Council. This role was authorized by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 but had remained unfilled for over 20 years since that law’s enactment. President Trump was the first president to dedicate a full-time staffer to this role and fill it on a permanent basis.

On February 4, during his State of the Union address, President Trump called on Congress to pass legislation that would ban late-term abortions. To highlight the need for this legislation, he invited special guest Ellie Schneider, who was born at just 21 weeks gestation.

On February 5, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo launched the International Religious Freedom Alliance. The Alliance united government leaders from like-minded nations to strategize ways to promote religious freedom and protect religious minorities around the world.

On February 25, the OMB issued a Statement of Administrative Policy strongly supporting two pro-life bills being voted on in the U.S. Senate: the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Had Congress passed these bills, the president’s advisors would have recommended that he sign both into law.

On March 24, the DOJ filed a statement of interest in a case protecting biological women against biological men intruding on their sporting competitions. The statement made clear that athletic qualifications on the basis of “gender identity” were harmful to women’s sports.

On March 28, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the HHS OCR issued a strong statement reminding health care entities of their obligation to treat persons with disabilities with the same dignity and worth as everyone else.

On April 2, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback held a special briefing. He called upon China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia to release their prisoners of conscience in light of the contagious COVID-19. Many of these prisoners were imprisoned for their religious faith.

On April 3, the Small Business Administration (SBA) issued a FAQ document confirming that churches and religious nonprofits are eligible for assistance like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) in the COVID-19 relief legislation known as the CARES Act. These clarifying protections ensured organizations would not be discriminated against based on their religious affiliation and would not have to give up their religious freedom in order to participate in these programs. In addition, the administration used an affiliation rule to ensure that large abortion providers like Planned Parenthood would not be eligible for COVID-19 relief in the CARES Act.

On April 14, DOJ filed a statement of interest protecting the religious liberty of churchgoers in Greenville, Mississippi. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Greenville had banned all religious services, even those that were able to abide by social distancing standards with drive-in church services.

On April 17, the Department of Homeland Security included “clergy for essential support” in its list of personnel and entities deemed “essential” for purposes of responding to COVID-19. This designation allowed clergy and pastors more freedom to continue to operate and serve those around them in need.

On April 27, Attorney General William Barr directed federal prosecutors to monitor and, if necessary, take action to correct state and local policies that discriminate against religious institutions and believers while battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

On May 3, the DOJ filed a statement of interest supporting the religious freedom of Lighthouse Fellowship Church in Chincoteague Island, Virginia. After the church held a 16-person worship service on Palm Sunday (following strict social distancing protocols), a criminal citation and summons were issued against the pastor pursuant to Governor Ralph Northam’s executive order, which banned in-person religious services but allowed large gatherings for businesses like liquor stores and dry cleaners.

On May 12, HHS finalized a rule revising the AFCAR (Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting) system and their data collection processes by not asking questions about the sexual orientation of the child, foster parent, adoptive parent, or legal guardian.

On May 15, the DOL issued guidance implementing the administration’s Religious Liberty Executive Order and DOJ religious liberty guidance. The DOL guidance also cited the OMB memo from earlier this year, which directed all grant-administering agencies to detail how they will protect religious liberty in the context of such grants and included specific action steps to ensure that religious liberty is protected.

On May 15, ED issued Title IX violation notices to Connecticut’s interscholastic sports governing body.

On May 18, USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General advocating that the UN not push abortion during the COVID-19 crisis. Barsa noted that abortion is not an “essential service,” and there are many actual health needs at this time. Therefore, the United States, which stood with the international pro-life community under the Trump administration, did not look kindly on these efforts to promote abortion.

On May 19, ED issued a final rule on “Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance” that eliminated the requirement that religious institutions submit a written statement to qualify for the Title IX religious exemption and expressly prohibited retaliation against individuals for exercising rights under Title IX.

On June 2, President Trump signed an Executive Order on Advancing International Religious Freedom, which recognized the promotion of international religious freedom as a moral and national security imperative for the United States.

On June 12, HHS finalized its regulation clarifying that discrimination on the basis of sex in section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act is to be interpreted under the plain meaning of the word. Therefore, it did not include “gender identity” or “termination of pregnancy” as set forth by a 2016 Obama administration regulation. The HHS rule would continue to enforce existing civil rights protections; however, it made clear that the federal government would not force physicians to participate in gender reassignment surgeries or abortions.

On June 19, the DOJ filed a statement of interest defending the constitutionality of Idaho’s Fairness in Women’s Sports Act. The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act ensures that only biologically female athletes are permitted to compete in female sports. By restricting biologically male athletes from participating, female athletes have a fair shot when competing.

On June 24, President Trump issued an Executive Order to strengthen America’s foster care and adoption system. Among other things, this action sought to increase partnerships with faith-based organizations to care for children and preserve families.

On June 29, the White House released a statement condemning the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June Medical Services v. Russo. This ruling concluded that requiring individuals who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals is unconstitutional.

On June 30, the White House released a statement praising the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. This ruling was a victory for religious freedom, ensuring that religious schools are not discriminated against in state voucher programs.

On July 8, HHS Secretary A lex Azar issued a statement celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania. The ruling upheld the Trump administration’s expansion of religious freedom protections under the Affordable Care Act’s contraception mandate.

On July 9, the Treasury Department sanctioned four current or former Chinese government officials and one Chinese government entity for their abuses against the Uyghur Muslim minority in China.

On July 21, the HHS OCR resolved a religious discrimination complaint against the Prince George’s Hospital Center of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS). Because of COVID-19 restrictions, the hospital denied a patient’s request to have a Catholic priest visit the hospital to provide spiritual care. The OCR worked with the hospital system to revise their visitor’s policy to allow religious visitations during the pandemic.

On July 31, the Treasury Department sanctioned a Chinese paramilitary organization in connection to their human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in China.

On August 5, Vice President Mike Pence gave a speech on the importance of protecting life and reaffirmed the administration’s pro-life positions. He also became the first vice president to visit a pregnancy resource center. These centers are valuable lifelines that offer abortion-free services for women facing crisis pregnancies.

On August 7, ED issued guidance regarding the administration’s Religious Freedom Executive Order, detailing (1) how Department regulations protected the religious freedoms of institutions and individuals and (2) the process by which both faith-based organizations and individuals could inform the Department of a burden or potential burden on religious exercise under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA).

On August 17, the State Department, in coordination with other federal agencies, released a second review of the PLGHA Policy. This report reaffirmed the policy’s effectiveness and that the U.S. government can both protect unborn life and promote better health outcomes for women globally.

On August 18, the Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board, which was convened as a part of President Trump’s June 5, 2019, fetal tissue research policy, issued a report providing recommendations on the ethics of fetal tissue research proposals. The report recommended that HHS not fund 13 of the 14 proposals because of ethical concerns with how fetal tissue from aborted babies would be inappropriately used.

On August 20, the HHS OCR resolved a civil rights complaint against the state of Utah, helping the state amend its crisis standards of care (CSC) guidelines to prevent discrimination against the elderly and disabled when medical resources are scarce. This was the OCR’s seventh resolution helping states create CSC plans that value the dignity of all human life.

On August 25, USAID released its updated Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy with the purpose of “empowering women and girls to participate fully in and equally benefit from the development of their societies.” The updated policy took into account the biological differences between males and females and recognized the importance of strengthening “families and communities” to achieving its goal.

On September 8, the DOJ filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of Indiana in support of the Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis’ right protected by the First Amendment to “decide for itself who should personify its beliefs, inculcate its teachings, and instruct students at religious high schools affiliated with the Archdiocese.”

On September 9, ED published a final rule on “Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities.” This rule made clear that First Amendment rights are to be upheld on campuses. It provided colleges and universities controlled by religious organizations with guidance on how to protect religious freedom in the context of Title IX. The rule also leveled the playing field for religious groups on campuses and upheld their right to assemble and free speech.

On September 14, The Trump administration proposed a new regulation to apply the PLGHA policy to contracts and subcontracts. This regulation would ensure that more foreign organizations must certify they will not perform or promote abortions in order to receive government aid. The Trump administration had identified a loophole in which foreign organizations performing or promoting abortions were still contracting with the United States for global health programs. This unprecedented expansion of PLGHA further solidified the administration’s commitment to protecting life abroad.

On September 14, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued five withhold release orders on a number of Chinese companies in order to prevent products known to be made through forced labor by Uyghur Muslims from entering the United States.
On September 18, a resolution agreement was signed by Franklin Pierce University after the Department of Education looked into its policy allowing biological males to participate in sports programs for biological females and found that it violated Title IX.

On September 21, the DOJ filed a statement of interest in a case “challenging New Mexico’s more stringent COVID-19 capacity limits on private schools than public schools.” In doing so, the Trump administration supported parents’ right to select the school of their choice for their children.

On September 22, President Trump addressed the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly. In this speech, the president highlighted his administration’s commitment to advancing religious liberty, protecting unborn children, and combating human trafficking.

On September 25, President Trump signed an Executive Order that reinforced existing protections for children born prematurely, with disabilities, or in medical distress, including infants who survive abortion. This order, which clarified the enforcement of existing laws and prioritized medical screenings for vulnerable infants, was in response to Congress’ inaction to pass meaningful legal protections for infants that survive abortion.

On September 30, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke in Rome, Italy, at a Holy See Symposium on Advancing and Defending Religious Freedom through Diplomacy.

On October 2, the DOJ filed a statement of interest in federal court in support of Capitol Hill Baptist Church’s lawsuit against Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser “arguing the Constitution and federal law require the District of Columbia to accommodate Capitol Hill Baptist Church’s effort to hold worship services outdoors, at least to the same extent the District of Columbia allows other forms of outdoor First Amendment activity, such as peaceful protests.”

On October 20, the HHS OCR resolved two religious discrimination complaints involving hospital policies that restricted clergy access to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first involved a Maryland hospital’s policy that denied a new mother’s request to have her son baptized because she had tested positive for COVID-19. The other case involved a Virginia hospital’s policy that prohibited a Catholic priest from administering last rites to a COVID-positive patient who was in an end of life situation. Both policies were updated to ensure that religious freedom is not diminished at the expense of public health policies.

On October 22, HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hosted the Geneva Consensus Declaration signing ceremony. This declaration was a historic effort by the United States, Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, and Uganda to strengthen global initiatives that promote women’s health, preserve human life (including the unborn), strengthen the family, and protect national sovereignty.

On October 26, President Trump’s nominee Amy Coney Barrett was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court, filling the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s vacant seat. Barrett was the third constitutional originalist the president saw confirmed to the Court.

On November 19, HHS and the DOJ collaborated to resolve a complaint that the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) discriminated against a parent with intellectual disabilities. A mother with intellectual disabilities had to give up her two-day-old child, but then DCF denied her equal access to support and services to be able to reunite with her child. This was a historic action by HHS and the DOJ to ensure that those with disabilities are treated equally under federal law.

On December 9, the DOL finalized its rule clarifying the scope and application of religious exemptions for federal contractors.

On December 16, HHS followed through on enforcement action announced in January 2020 to disallow $200 million in federal Medicaid funds from going to California due to its refusal to comply with federal law. California was given an opportunity to amend its mandate that all health insurers provide abortion coverage but refused to comply. HHS also referred the University of Vermont Medical Center for enforcement action after they unlawfully forced a nurse to participate in an elective abortion against her conscience.

On December 19, a final rule was published that leveled the playing field for faith-based organizations wishing to participate in grant programs or become a contractor. The rules eliminated two requirements placed on faith-based organizations that were not placed on secular organizations.

On December 29, President Trump issued a Proclamation on the 850th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket, honoring his fearless defense of religious liberty.

2021
On January 8, ED issued a memo responding to the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bostock decision, affirming that sex is still to be determined biologically.

On January 11, HHS proposed a new federal regulation to strengthen safeguards against using aborted fetal tissue in research. This regulation formalized the policies that the administration issued in June 2019 to cut off federal funding of fetal tissue research and institute an ethics advisory board to review future fetal tissue research projects.

On January 12, HHS finalized its rule that removed burdensome requirements that had compelled all grantees (including faith-based ones) to accept same-sex marriages and profess gender identity as valid in order to be eligible to participate in grant programs. These requirements had been used to shut down faith-based providers of foster care and adoption.

On January 13, DOL Deputy Secretary Patrick Pizzella sent a letter to all governors and state workforce agencies ensuring and reiterating that religious organizations are eligible to participate in DOL programs on the same basis as any other organization.

On January 15, HHS proposed a new federal regulation to protect infants that survive abortion and ensure that any patient with a disability is not discriminated against in the provision of health care. This regulation formalized the Executive Order issued on September 25 to reinforce existing protections for children born prematurely, with disabilities, or in medical distress, including infants who survive abortion.

On January 17, DOJ issued a memo on the Bostock decision to clarify its limited application.

On January 18, President Trump declared January 22, 2021, to be National Sanctity of Human Life Day. He then issued this message for America: “Today, I call on the Congress to join me in protecting and defending the dignity of every human life, including those not yet born. I call on the American people to continue to care for women in unexpected pregnancies and to support adoption and foster care in a more meaningful way so that every child can have a loving home. And finally, I ask every citizen of this great Nation to listen to the sound of silence caused by a generation lost to us, and then to raise their voices for all affected by abortion, both seen and unseen.”

On January 19, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo officially declared that China is committing genocide and crimes against humanity through its campaign of repression against Uyghur Muslims.
At the end of his term, the Trump administration nominated and had confirmed 230 federal judges, including three U.S. Supreme Court justices and 55 federal appeals court judges. An overwhelming number of President Trump’s judicial nominees have been constitutional originalists, who will interpret the law as written rather than interpret it according to their personal policy preferences.

2017
To date, the administration of President Donald Trump
has taken significant action to protect life and human dignity:

On January 23, President Trump reinstated and expanded the Mexico City
Policy, which blocks funding for international organizations that perform or
promote abortion. This new program is known as Protecting Life in Global Health
Assistance (PLGHA), which now covers $8.8 billion in family planning and global
health funds that go to organizations abroad (none of whom may perform or
promote abortion).

On January 19, the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) rescinded an
Obama administration letter that restricted states’ flexibility in removing abortion
providers from federal healthcare programs if they did not meet the state’s
qualification standards.

On September 24, the U.S. Department off Health and Human Services (HHS)
terminated a $15,900 contract with Advanced Bioscience Resources to procure
fetal tissue from aborted babies for research. The termination of this contract led
HHS to announce an audit of all acquisitions and research involving human fetal
tissue to ensure consistency with statutes and regulations.

On January 18, HHS notified California that its law requiring pregnancy resource
centers to post notices about how to obtain an abortion violated the pro-life
Weldon and Coates-Snowe Amendments. This marks the first time that the
Conscience and Religious Freedom Division at HHS found a state in violation
of these laws. This demonstrates the administration’s commitment to enforcing
conscience protections and its pro-life priorities.

On January 19, at the request of 169 members of Congress and 49 senators,
President Trump sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in which he
promised to veto any legislation that weakens current pro-life Federal policies
and laws. This letter was a message to the new Democrat majority in the House
that longstanding pro-life protections like the Hyde Amendment and safeguards
protecting the conscience rights of health care providers are not negotiable.
2018
2019
PRO-LIFE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
of the Trump Administration
An overview of events occurring 2017-2020

On February 22, HHS finalized a new regulation governing the Title X family
planning program. Consistent with federal law, these rule changes known as the
Protect Life Rule ensured that Title X clinics would be financially and physically
separate from abortion facilities and would not refer patients for abortions. Since
the implementation of the rule, Planned Parenthood and several pro-abortion
states voluntarily decided to withdraw from the program rather than stop
performing abortions.

On May 2, HHS issued a new regulation to expand the structure in which federal
conscience protections related to abortion are enforced. In 2011, President
Obama issued a rule that enforced only three federal conscience provisions. The
new regulation under President Trump covers 25 existing statutes, which will be
enforced by the new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division, part of the HHS
OCR.

On May 5, at the World Health Assembly, the Trump administration issued a joint
statement on behalf of the United States and eight other nations calling on other
countries to join an effort to focus on women’s health issues that unify rather than
create dissension among members (like abortion and sexual and reproductive
health). This statement was the first action taken under the administration’s
new Protecting Life in Global Health Policy (PLGHP), which seeks to build a
global coalition to promote women’s health while also protecting unborn life and
strengthening the family. This policy works in conjunction with the Protecting
Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA) program, which restricts funding for
organizations abroad that perform or promote abortion.

On June 5, after an extensive audit into fetal tissue research, the Trump
administration announced a major change in the enforcement of research
contracts. HHS would no longer conduct intramural (internal) research using tissue
from aborted babies and would greatly increase the ethics rules and safeguards
that govern extramural (external) fetal tissue research contracts. All new external
contracts will be subject to a congressionally authorized ethics advisory board,
making it much more difficult for fetal tissue research contracts to be awarded by
the National Institute of Health.

On July 18, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and HHS Secretary Alex Azar issued
a joint letter on International Partnerships that called states to join a coalition of
countries that seek to advocate against pro-abortion policies at the World Health
Organization and the United Nations (UN).

On August 28, the HHS OCR issued a notice of violation to the University of
Vermont Medical Center for forcing a nurse to participate in an abortion despite
a conscience objection. This marks the third time that the HHS Religious Freedom
Division under President Trump has investigated a conscience complaint related to
participating in or promoting abortion.

On September 25, HHS Secretary Alex Azar delivered a statement at the UN
General Assembly stating that there is no international right to abortion, and that
the U.S. does not support ambiguous terms like “sexual and reproductive health”
in UN documents.

On November 14, the U.S. government lead a statement on behalf of itself and 10
other countries at the Nairobi Summit, once again calling upon the international
community to focus on areas of consensus instead of divisive issues like abortion
and sexual and reproductive health.

On December 20, the center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final
regulation to address the abortion surcharge hidden in many plans purchased on
the Obamacare exchange. This final rule aligns federal regulations with section
1303 of the Affordable Care Act, ensuring that consumers know their health care
plan covers abortion and that funding for abortion is kept separate from all other
covered services.

On January 16, HHS Secretary Alex Azar hosted 34 countries for a meeting on how
to promote women’s health and protect the lives of the unborn. This meeting
followed an invitation sent by Secretary Azar and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
to 70 different countries inviting them to join a coalition to oppose international
efforts to enshrine abortion as a human right.

On January 22, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at HHS approved
a family planning waiver for Texas to implement a state-run Medicaid program
that excludes abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. This makes Texas the
first state to receive Medicaid funding for a family planning program that does not
include abortion providers.

On January 24, President Trump became the first sitting president to give
remarks in person at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. In his address
he stated the eternal truth that every child is a sacred gift from God and reiterated
his effort to defend the dignity and sanctity of every human life.
Also on January 24, HHS Secretary Alex Azar announced live at Family Research
Council’s ProLifeCon event that HHS issued a notice of violation to California
for violating the federal Weldon Amendment by mandating all health insurers
provide coverage for abortion. California’s abortion coverage mandate has
deprived over 28,000 residents of plans that do not cover abortion. This marks
the second time that HHS has issued a notice of violation to California for violating
federal conscience laws and is the fourth enforcement action taken by the HHS
OCR’s Conscience and Religious Freedom Division.

On February 4, during his State of the Union address, President Trump called on
Congress to pass legislation that would ban late-term abortions. To highlight the
need for this legislation, he invited special guest Ellie Schneider, who was born at
just 21 weeks gestation.

On February 25, OMB issued a Statement of Administrative Policy strongly
supporting two pro-life bills being voted on in the U.S. Senate: the Pain-Capable
Unborn Child Protection Act and the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection
Act. Had Congress passed these bills, the president’s advisors would have
recommended that he sign both into law.

On March 28, amid the coronavirus pandemic, HHS OCR issued a strong statement
reminding health care entities of their obligation to treat persons with disabilities
with the same dignity and worth as everyone else. OCR reiterated its duty to
enforce current civil rights laws and has already worked with states like Alabama
and Pennsylvania to remove discriminatory practices from their pandemic health
plans.

On May 18, USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa sent a letter to the UN
Secretary General advocating that the UN not push abortion during the
coronavirus crisis. Barsa noted that abortion is not an “essential service,” and there
are many actual health needs at this time. Therefore, the United States, which

2020
stands with the international pro-life community under the Trump administration,
does not look kindly on these efforts to promote abortion.

On June 26, OCR resolved a complaint against Tennessee after the state updated
its medical triage plans to prevent discrimination against the elderly and disabled
when medical resources are scarce. This is now OCR’s fourth resolution, previously
resolving cases with Alabama, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

On June 29, the White House released a statement condemning the Supreme
Court ruling on June Medical Services v. Russo. This ruling concluded that
requiring individuals who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at
hospitals is unconstitutional.

On August 5, Vice President Mike Pence gave a speech on the importance of
protecting life and reaffirmed the administration’s pro-life positions. He also
became the first vice president to visit a pregnancy resource center – these
centers are valuable lifelines that offer abortion-free services for women facing
crisis pregnancies.

On August 17, the State Department, in coordination with other federal agencies,
released a second review of President Trump’s PLGHA Policy, which requires
U.S. global health funds recipients to certify that they will not promote or
perform abortions. This report reaffirmed the policy’s effectiveness and the U.S.
government’s ability to simultaneously protect unborn life and promote better
health outcomes for women globally.

On August 18, the Human Fetal Tissue Research Ethics Advisory Board—which
was convened as a part of President Trump’s June 5, 2019 fetal tissue research
policy—issued recommendations on the ethics of fetal tissue research proposals.
The board recommended against funding 13 of the 14 proposals because of ethical
concerns with how fetal tissue from aborted babies would be used. This board will
continue to review any new fetal tissue research proposals applying for federal
funds.

On September 14, The Trump administration proposed a new regulation to apply
the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (PLGHA) policy to contracts and
subcontracts. This regulation ensures that more foreign organizations must certify
they will not perform or promote abortions in order to receive government aid.
The Trump administration had identified a loophole in which foreign organizations
performing or promoting abortions were still contracting with the United States
for global health programs. This unprecedented expansion further solidifies the
administration’s commitment to protecting life abroad.

On September 25, President Trump signed an executive order that reinforces
existing protections for children born prematurely, with disabilities, or in medical
distress, including infants who survive abortion. This order, which clarifies the
enforcement of existing laws and prioritizes medical screenings for vulnerable
infants, was in response to Congress’s inaction to pass meaningful legal
protections for infants that survive abortion.

On October 22, HHS Secretary Alex Azar and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
hosted the Geneva Consensus Declaration signing ceremony. This declaration is
a historic effort by the governments of the United States, Brazil, Egypt, Hungary,
Indonesia, and Uganda to strengthen global initiatives that promote women’s
health, preserve human life (including the unborn), strengthen the family, and
protect national sovereignty.


1st 100 days of Biden Administration

Nominees With Radical Anti-life Anti-family Records
Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services
Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health at HHS
Kristen Clark, Associate Attorney General - Civil Rights Division
Antony Blinken, Secretary of State
Marcia Fudge, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
Marty Walsh, Secretary of Labor
Shlanda Young, Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Vanita Gupta, Associate Attorney General
Wendy Sherman, Deputy Secretary of State
Jennifer Granholm, Secretary of Energy

COVID-19 Relief Bill
The Biden COVID relief bill signed on March 11 includes a total of $459 billion in funding that lacks key pro-life protections:
$380 billion in funds that can pay for abortions directly
$704 million that can pay for abortions overseas
$10 billion that can be used to lobby for abortion abroad
An estimated $81 billion in tax subsidies for health plans that cover abortion
$50 million in Title X funding intended for abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood
$8.7 billion in global health funds that can go to international abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood and Marie Stopes
The Biden COVID bill further lacks: Liability protections for churches that re-open
Biden's COVID bill lacks adequate assistance for private and homeschooling to respond to COVID
Biden's COVID bill lacks an increase in the charitable tax deduction to promote further giving to churches and non-profits

Sexuality Regulations
Issued an executive order directing all agencies to redefine "because of...sex" and specifically noting the desire to obliterate women's privacy in restrooms and locker rooms
Failed to oppose biological males playing female high school and elementary school sports
Issued an executive order undercutting and deprioritizing military readiness, lethality, and cohesion in favor of social engineering
Department of Defense issued a directive to implement social engineering in the military
Supports VAWA which would further traumatize battered women.
Supports biological males using women's bathrooms in schools
Established a White House Gender Policy Council to plan a radical pro-LGBTQ agenda
HUD withdrew the previous administration's proposed rule to help ensure that battered women had safe and private shelters to serve them
Supports the anti-life, anti-family, and anti-freedom Equality Act.
Gratuitously refers to "all genders", not male and female

International Religious Freedom
Has NOT yet nominated an Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom
Limited funds for international faith-based NGO's by allowing funding for abortion providers
Paused funding for a Uyghur cultural preservation project in Central Asia.
Froze aid to addressing inter-religious tensions in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
Has NOT announced whether the State Department will continue to hold Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom.
Announced State Department will now allow US embassies to fly pride flag.
Has NOT yet appointed an advisor on international religious freedom to the National Security Council.
Taken steps to restore federal funding to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Biden's Secretary of State Antony Blinken downplays the importance of international religious freedom as a human right
Rejected $2 million for churches and faith based groups in Nigeria, a country known for religious freedom violations of Christians and Muslims

Domestic Attacks on Religion
Proposed Title X rules violate conscience rights by forcing abortion referrals
Supports the Equality Act which undermines the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
Supports the Equality Act which would prohibit Christian organizations from only hiring people who agree with biblical values
Supports the Equality Act which could force religious medical professionals to provide sex-change surgeries
Opposes the full enforcement of the Weldon Amendment which protects the conscience rights of doctors
Appointed Xavier Becerra who sued the Little Sisters of the Poor for not providing contraception as HHS Secretary.
Fired Sharon Gustafson from Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Failed to Support Religious Adoption Agencies' conscience rights in Fulton v. Philadelphia.
Failed to Defend Supreme Court Case regarding Title X rules that allow religious organizations to receive funds.
Scaled back the Trump administration's Faith and Opportunity Initiative to reach out to communities of faith

Election Statements
Issued a statement of support for H.R. 1 which would federalize election laws and remove barriers to voter fraud
Called for the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act which would once again require federal pre-clearance of state election laws
Signed an executive order that further promotes the federal government being involved in the election process
President Biden strongly attacked Georgia's voter integrity law
Repeatedly mischaracterized the Georgia voter integrity law as closing polls at 5:00pm
He claimed the GA law would lead to voter suppression even though the New York Times concluded it could actually increase voter turnout
Directed the Department of Justice to look into an executive response to Georgia's voter integrity law
In his first and only press conference referenced state efforts to pass voter integrity laws as Jim Crow Era laws
Directly called on Major League Baseball to move their All-Star Game out of Atlanta in protest of Georgia's voter integrity law
Supports major corporations moving business practices form states that pass voter integrity laws

Education Action
Signed a $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill that did not provide adequate resources for private religious and homeschools to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Failed to deliver on his campaign promise to re-open schools.
Allowed COVID funding for schools that have remained closed
Appointed Miguel Cardona who supports transgender participation in girls sports as Secretary of Education
Signed an Executive Order paving the way for biological men to play women's sports
Signed an Executive Order paving the way for biological men to use women's bathrooms
Failed to support the Opportunity Scholarship Program, the only federally funded school choice program
Supports the Equality Act which would prevent Catholic schools from hiring people who live in accordance with Catholic teaching
Supports limiting federal funding if a religious school has a biblical view of sexuality and marriage
Appointed Cindy Marten to be Deputy Education Secretary, who is known for promoting the LGBT agenda over academic achievement

Public Statements and Press Conferences
Biden statement on the Introduction of the Equality Act supported this anti-family legislation
Biden and Harris statement on Roe v. Wade decision praised the decision
Tweeted supporting codifying Roe v. Wade
Biden said "nothing has changed" at the border since the Trump administration.
Biden called Vice President Kamala Harris "President Harris" in an interview.
Biden called for creating "maternity flight suits" as a way to advance women.
President Biden called the Pentagon chief "My--the guy who runs that outfit over there."
President Biden said "You've got a Japanese boy coming over here, and guess what? He won the Masters"
Press Secretary Jen Psaki claimed that girls competing against biological men in sports for scholarships shouldn't worry because of "trans rights"
When asked about Biden's position on the Hyde amendment his press secretary responded "I will take the opportunity to remind all of you he is a devout Catholic and someone who attends church regularly"

Attacks on Women
FDA will not enforce the regulations surrounding the chemical abortion regimen
Removing the chemical abortion regulations puts women at risk of life-threatening complications
Removing the chemical abortion regulations makes women their own abortionists
Removing the chemical abortion regulations forces women without medical training to evaluate their pregnancy
Removing the chemical abortion regulations put women at risk of sterility
Supported the ERA which mandates abortion funding
Repealing PLGHA ignored the will and needs of African women
Repealed PLGHA which had the support of 75% of Americans
Proposed Title X rules offer fewer health options for women
Committed to codifying Roe v. Wade

Attacks on the Unborn
Forced American taxpayers to fund abortion industries overseas
Supports repealing Hyde, which saved 2.4 million unborn babies' lives
Supports distributing the abortion pill through the mail
Appointed only pro-abortion cabinet members.
Supported C. funding elective abortion
Proposed Title X rules funding Planned Parenthood
Repealed ban on research using tissue from aborted babies
Failed to Support the Born-Alive Survivors Protection Act
Rejoined the pro-abortion World Health Organization
Issued an Executive Order on Reproductive Health outlining his pro-abortion agenda

Tracking Biden Administration

63 executive orders, 245 official presidential actions as of 9/20/21

In his inaugural address on January 20, 2021, President Joe Biden made a firm commitment to unity: “Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together. Uniting our people. And Uniting our Nation.” These words, while comforting, now appear to be nothing but a hollow promise. Biden’s presidency thus far has been marked by actions that have further divided our nation, especially when it comes to the issues of life, family, and religious freedom. His administration has moved more aggressively than any previous presidential administration to undo federal pro-life policies and promote abortion, dismantle the biological realities of men and women in federal policy, and promote the LGBT agenda. He has also failed to uphold religious freedom in a satisfactory fashion, both at home and abroad.


Life
On January 20, President Biden sent a letter to António Guterres, the secretary-general of the UN, stating the United States’ intent to remain a member of the World Health Organization (WHO). The Trump administration had previously stated its intention to withdraw from WHO due to its inadequate COVID-19 response and its proactive advocacy for expanding abortion during the pandemic.
On January 22, President Biden and Vice President Harris issued a statement on the 48th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Describing the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision as a “foundational precedent” to which all judicial nominees should commit, the president and vice president called for Roe’s codification.

On January 28, President Biden issued an executive order on “Protecting Women’s Health at Home and Abroad.” This order:
Repealed the Trump administration’s Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy (PLGHA), which prohibited global health funds from going to foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that perform or promote abortion.
Withdrew from the U.S.-led Geneva Consensus Declaration, a 34-country agreement that declared abortion is not an international human right and should never be promoted as a method of family planning.
Took steps to resume funding of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which continues to partner with China despite the country’s coercive abortion and sterilization practices.
Ordered a review of the Trump administration’s Protect Life Rule that governed Title X family planning funding.

On March 11, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act(H.R. 1319), a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that had more to do with funding abortion than providing important relief to the American people. This bill lacked key abortion funding restrictions on over $459 billion, breaking decades of congressional precedent on restricting federal funding for abortion.

On March 17, the White House issued a statement in support of the House resolution to remove the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The White House’s statement said the ERA is necessary to ensuring that no one’s rights are denied on account of their sex. In reality, the ERA would do little to advance women’s rights. Instead, it would mandate federal funding for abortion and eliminate sex distinctions in the law, thus eliminating the existing legal protections for biological women.

On March 18, the Office of Population Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the Biden administration’s plan to repeal the Trump-era Protect Life Rule governing Title X by the end of the year. This announcement was in direct response to President Biden’s executive order issued on January 28.

On April 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it would not be enforcing longstanding federal regulations that require chemical abortion pills to be dispensed in person. These requirements were put in place to protect women against severe health complications that are known to arise from the use of these drugs. With this announcement, the Biden administration placed a pro-abortion ideology ahead of protecting women’s health.

On April 15, HHS followed through with the timeline set up in its March 18 announcement and published a proposed rule to repeal the Protect Life Rule. These rule changes would once again allow Title X family planning grants to go to abortion businesses and require grantees to provide abortion referrals to their patients.

On April 16, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced it would repeal the Trump-era policy that heavily restricted taxpayer funding of aborted fetal tissue research. The Trump administration’s policy prohibited the NIH from using aborted fetal tissue in its internal research and required all external research grants using aborted fetal tissue to be approved by an ethics advisory board.

On April 20, the White House issued a statement in support of the Washington, D.C. Admission Act (H.R. 51), a bill that would make D.C. the 51st state. This measure is unconstitutional and does not reflect our Founders’ intention for the federal seat of government to be independent of any one state in the Union. Furthermore, D.C.’s admission as a state would nullify congressional control over D.C.’s budget, effectively allowing D.C. to fund elective abortions and expand legal access to recreational marijuana, among other things.

On May 7, President Biden issued a Proclamation on National Women’s Health Week. This statement directly called for protecting access to “sexual and reproductive health care,” which according to the administration includes abortion.
On May 17, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s announcement to take up a case involving Mississippi’s 15-week abortion restriction, Press Secretary Jen Psaki doubled down on President Biden’s position to fund abortions and codify Roe v. Wade.

On June 22, the White House issued a statement in support of the Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act (H.R. 239). This bill would increase insurance coverage to 100 percent (including co-pay) for all FDA-approved forms of contraception for veterans. This includes chemical contraception that can act as an abortifacient,like Plan B and ella.

On July 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed a rule to once again allow abortion surcharge payments for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plans to be collected with legitimate health care expenses in a single payment. The Trump administration had proposed a rule to follow the law of the ACA and ensure these payments were collected separately. The Biden administration’s proposed rule attempts to reinstate the Obama administration’s regulations which interpreted “separate” to mean together.

On July 26, the White House issued a statement in support of a seven-bill appropriations package that removed several longstanding pro-life policy riders that restrict taxpayer funding for abortion. This is the first appropriations bill since 1976 to pass the U.S. House of Representatives without the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits Medicaid funding for abortion.

On July 27, the White House issued a statement in support of the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, specifically citing the increase in family planning funding that can go to international abortion businesses. This bill also removes the longstanding Helms Amendment, in place since 1973, which prohibits direct abortion funding abroad.

On July 30, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) dismissed a lawsuit against the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC), which had been charged with forcing a nurse to participate in an abortion against her conscience. This decision came after the Trump administration filed a suit in 2019 that found UVMMC to be in violation of the federal Church Amendment.

On September 1, President Biden issued a statement condemning Texas’s heartbeat law that prohibits abortions at around six weeks gestation, which is when an unborn child’s heartbeat can be detected. He followed up with a second statement vowing to use his Gender Policy Council to direct HHS and DOJ to take any necessary actions to defeat this law and promote abortions in Texas.

On September 3, when asked about his position on the Texas heartbeat law during a press conference, President Biden said he does not agree that life begins at conception. This represents a change from his previous position as a U.S senator and vice president, when he claimed to be “personally” pro-life and believed life begins at conception.

On September 6, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a statement detailing how DOJ is exploring all legal options to challenge Texas’s heartbeat law. He also announced that the DOJ would enforce the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act against anyone who intimidates or interferes with a person seeking an abortion in Texas.

On September 9, DOJ filed suit against Texas over the Texas Heartbeat Act in an attempt to stop a pro-life law that the courts have currently allowed to go into effect.

On September 17, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced new actions to promote abortion in Texas following the enactment of the Texas Heartbeat Act. These actions include increased Title X funding to bolster access to abortions in Texas. This directly contradicts Title X statute, which prohibits family planning funding from being used for abortions.

On September 17, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a final rule to once again allow abortion surcharge payments for ACA health plans to be collected with legitimate healthcare expenses in a single payment. The Trump administration had proposed a rule to follow the law of the ACA and ensure these payments were collected separately. The Biden administration’s final rule would reinstate the Obama administration’s regulations which interpreted “separate” to mean together.

On September 20, the White House issued a statement in support of the Abortion on Deman d Act, officially known as the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 3755), sponsored by Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.). This sweeping legislation would enshrine late-term abortion into federal law while simultaneously striking down commonsense pro-life laws across the United States. It would also create a much more challenging standard for passing future laws protecting the unborn.

Family and Religious Freedom
On January 20, President Biden issued an executive order on “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.” This order directed agencies to apply the holding of Bostock v. Clayton County to other areas of law beyond its intended scope of employment discrimination. The order requires federal agencies to interpret federal laws that prohibit sex discrimination (including Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972) as also prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

On January 20, President Biden issued an executive order on “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.”This order directs the executive branch to pursue comprehensive policies that elevate the LGBT agenda.

On January 25, President Biden issued an executive order on “Enabling All Qualified Americans to Serve Their Country in Uniform.” This order:
Revoked President Trump’s memorandum on “Military Service by Transgender Individuals” dated March 23, 2018, and disregarded the in-depth U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) study that was the foundation of this memorandum. The study details the harms of allowing those who identify as transgender to openly serve according to their gender identity.
Stated that someone’s gender identity should not bar them from military service.
Cited the Obama administration-era DoD study that erroneously concluded “permitting transgender individuals to serve openly in the military was consistent with military readiness and with strength through diversity.”
Established the policy that all transgender individuals who want to serve in the military and “can meet the appropriate standards” should be able to do so openly and free from discrimination.
Directed the DoD and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement this policy.

On January 27, President Biden issued a memorandum on “Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking.” This memorandum directed that federal scientific integrity policies “support scientists and researchers of all genders, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds,” even after asserting that federal science policy overall includes only the best peer-reviewed science, free from “improper political interference.”

On February 2, President Biden issued a proclamation on American Heart Month. In this statement, Biden gratuitously referenced “all genders.” However, the proclamation acknowledges that “the symptoms of a heart attack can be different for men and women, an often-overlooked fact that can impact when people seek care.”

On February 4, President Biden issued a memorandum on “Advancing the Human Rights of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex Persons Around the World.” This memorandum “reaffirms and supplements” an Obama administration executive order that sought to ensure “United States diplomacy and foreign assistance promote[s] and protect[s] the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons everywhere.” Through this policy, the United States will push the LGBT agenda around the world. Among other things, this memorandum directs all relevant agencies to:
“Ensure appropriate training is in place so that relevant Federal Government personnel and key partners can effectively identify and respond to the particular needs of LGBTQI+ refugees and asylum seekers, including by providing to them adequate assistance and ensuring that the Federal Government takes all appropriate steps, such as potential increased use of Embassy Priority-1 referrals, to identify and expedite resettlement of highly vulnerable persons with urgent protection needs.”
“Consider appropriate responses, including using the full range of diplomatic and assistance tools and, as appropriate, financial sanctions, visa restrictions, and other actions” when “foreign governments move to restrict the rights of LGBTQI+ persons or fail to enforce legal protections in place, thereby contributing to a climate of intolerance.”
Rescind inconsistent policies and report on progress.

On February 4, President Biden issued an executive order on “Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration.” Section 4 (j) of the order allows for non-married couples to be treated as married for the purposes of the refugee system in certain circumstances.

On February 4, President Biden issued a memorandum on “Revitalizing America’s Foreign Policy and National Security Workforce, Institutions, and Partnerships.” Among many other things, this memorandum declared that it is administration policy to “prioritize diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility as a national security imperative, in order to ensure critical perspectives and talents are represented in the national security workforce.” It established an Interagency Working Group on the National Security Workforce to, in part, “strengthen diversity and inclusion by sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, and economic, regional, and immigrant backgrounds, including at senior levels.” The memorandum also included a call for recommendations of legislative and executive actions to achieve these goals of promoting and ingratiating the LGBT agenda around the world.

On February 11, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a memorandum announcing that it will be using the redefinition of “discrimination on the basis of sex” from Bostock v. Clayton County in its administration and enforcement of the Fair Housing Act. This is likely to lead to HUD-funded shelters for battered women being mandated to allow biological men to be housed alongside women where they may share private spaces.

On February 14, President Biden issued an executive order on “the Establishment of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.” This order revoked Executive Order 13831, which established a White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative. This Initiative had precipitated various agency actions to preserve religious liberty during the previous administration. Biden’s executive order states that it is important to strengthen the ability of faith-based and other community-serving organizations to deliver services “while preserving our fundamental constitutional commitments guaranteeing the equal protection of the laws and the free exercise of religion and forbidding the establishment of religion.”
The accompanying fact sheet says: “The Partnerships Office’s initial work will include collaborating with civil society to: address the COVID-19 pandemic and boost economic recovery; combat systemic racism; increase opportunity and mobility for historically disadvantaged communities; and strengthen pluralism. The office will also support agency partnerships that advance the United States Government’s diplomatic, international development, and humanitarian work around the world.” This shift replaces the priority of preserving religious liberty with a priority of ensuring that religious entities who want to work with the government do not operate according to their religious beliefs that are counter to the LGBT agenda.

On February 19, President Biden issued a statement in support of the introduction of the Equality Act in Congress. In the statement, he reaffirmed his commitment to the LGBT agenda and called for swift passage of this anti-life, anti-faith, anti-freedom bill.

On February 23, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued a letter withdrawing a Trump administration Letter of Impending Enforcement Action against the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for violating Title IX by allowing biological males to play sports designated for females. The Biden administration also archived the Trump administration’s helpful January 8 memo regarding the Supreme Court’s Bostock decision and its effect on Title IX.

On March 4, President Biden issued a statement in support of the House’s passage of the For the People Act (H.R. 1). Among other things, the For the People Act establishes a federal takeover of elections, removes barriers to voter fraud, forces disclosure of certain donor lists, and has a religious test for eligibility to be on a redistricting commission mandated by the bill.

On March 8, President Biden issued an executive order on the “Establishment of the White House Gender Policy Council.” This order states that it is the policy of the Biden administration “to establish and pursue a comprehensive approach to ensure that the Federal Government is working to advance equal rights and opportunities, regardless of gender or gender identity, in advancing domestic and foreign policy – including by promoting workplace diversity, fairness, and inclusion across the Federal workforce and military.” The accompanying fact sheet states that the Gender Policy Counsel will “aggressively protect” certain groups, including the LGBT community. The removal of the scientific and biological parameters of sex will prevent this council from adequately protecting and addressing the needs of biological women.

On March 8, President Biden issued an executive order on “Guaranteeing an Educational Environment Free from Discrimination on the Basis of Sex, Including Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity.” This order states that “the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall review all existing regulations, orders, guidance documents, policies, and any other similar agency actions (collectively, agency actions)” to ensure they line up with the LGBT agenda.

On March 8, President Biden issued a statement on the introduction of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA), voicing his s upport for VAWA’s reauthorization. Unfortunately, the reauthorization includes gender identity language that undermines the intended purpose of VAWA (i.e., increasing access to victim services and improving the criminal justice response to sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment, and other such crimes) and thereby harms the very women it seeks to protect.

On March 12, the DoD issued a memorandum responding to the presidential memorandum issued on February 4. The DoD memorandum directed the Pentagon to promote and protect the rights of LGBT individuals in accordance with that presidential memorandum, which will be implemented much more broadly and include promoting the LGBT agenda.

On March 17, President Biden issued a statement applauding the passage of VAWA.

On March 18, the White House issued a fact sheet on “U.S. Efforts to Combat Systemic Racism.” The fact sheet explains that the Biden administration’s priorities regarding combating racism include supporting individuals facing discrimination on account of gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, race or ethnicity, religion, and national origin, although it does not define what discrimination means. The Biden administration also voiced support for the UN Human Rights Council’s statement outlining “the continuous scourge of racism and racial discrimination, xenophobia, and other forms of intolerance.” This “fact sheet” erroneously equating gender identity with race represents another attempt to push the progressive social agenda’s narrative on human sexuality.

On March 26, the DOJ issued a memorandum on the application of Bostock v. Clayton County to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. This memorandum expanded the scope of Bostock to say that its redefinition of discrimination on the basis of sex (to now include sexual orientation and gender identity) should apply to Title IX provisions regarding discrimination on the basis of sex. This paves the way for schools to be mandated to accept gender identity ideology.

On March 30, the DoD issued updated directives outlining the ability of transgender-identifying individuals and those with gender dysphoria to serve in the military. This policy prioritizes social engineering over military readiness, lethality, and unit cohesion.

On March 31, President Biden issued a proclamation on Transgender Day of Visibility. This proclamation completely dismissed the science regarding the differences between men and women and the importance of these differences in a multitude of areas, including health care. It also called for the passage of the Equality Act.

On April 6, as part of implementing President Biden’s March 8 executive order, the ED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a comprehensive review of the Department’s regulations implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. In a letter to students, educators, and other stakeholders, OCR outlined plans to solicit the public’s input on the regulations, ultimately leading to possible revisions through a notice of proposed rulemaking.

On April 22, HUD announced that it was withdrawing the previous administration’s rule that had sought to ensure the privacy and safety of women in women’s shelters.

On May 5, President Biden issued a Proclamation on National Day of Prayer without mentioning God one time. This was the first National Day of Prayer proclamation to not mention God.

On May 6, President Biden announced the organization of the Domestic Policy Council at the White House. LGBTQ+ advocacy is listed among the top priorities for this council.

On May 10, HHS announced that the OCR would interpret and enforce Section 1557 and Title IX’s prohibitions on sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

On May 13, President Biden nominated leftist radical Catherine Lhamon to be assistant secretary of the Office of Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. Secretary Cardona praised her nomination.

On May 17, President Biden issued a statement recognizing “International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia,” which celebrates the anniversary of WHO’s declassifying homosexuality as a mental disorder. He touted the administration’s work on the issue and, yet again, called on Congress to pass the Equality Act.

On May 17, the Department of Education’s OCR announced a virtual public hearing to gather information for the purpose of improving enforcement of Title IX. Specifically, the announcement states that “OCR looks forward to hearing views and insights […] on Title IX and schools' responsibilities to address […] discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in education programs and activities.”

On May 17, the White House published a fact sheet of their effort to impose the LGBT agenda on other nations.
“The Department of State, the Department of Labor, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are “leveraging diplomatic engagement and foreign assistance to promote practices and policies […] including efforts which lead to the decriminalization of consensual same-sex status.”
“The Department of State-managed Global Equality Fund (GEF), which is a public-private partnership of like-minded governments, businesses, and foundations that supports civil society programs to […] provides assistance to locally-owned efforts to advance law reform.”
“Since its launch in 2011, the Global Equality Fund has provided more than $83 million in funding through small grants, emergency and rapid response assistance, and support for more than 50 technical assistance projects in more than 100 countries worldwide.”
“USAID manages the Multi-Donor LGBTI Global Human Rights Initiative, which leverages financial and technical contributions from Sweden and Canada to support locally-led LGBTQI+ organizations.”

On June 12, the White House held a roundtable with LGBT-identifying individuals.

On June 16, the Department of Education’s OCR issued a Notice of Interpretation explaining that it will enforce Title IX’s prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

On June 21, the White House hosted a round table with LGBT leaders to discuss efforts and strategies to pass the Equality Act. They also discussed the various state-level bills aimed at protecting women and children from the harmful LGBT agenda and how to combat them.

On June 23, in observance of Title IX’s 49th anniversary, the U.S. Department of Education's OCR issued a Dear Educator Letter and, in conjunction with the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, a new fact sheet with a focus on the redefinition of sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

On June 25, President Biden announced his appointment of Jessica Stern to be the U.S. special envoy to advance the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons at the U.S. Department of State. The announcement called this position “critical to ensuring that U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance promote” the LGBT agenda abroad. Stern was executive director of OutRight Action International, and “has supported the legal registration of LGBTIQ organizations globally, helped secure the mandate of the United Nations Independent Expert on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, expanded the UN General Assembly resolution to include gender identity, and co-founded the UN LGBTI Core Group.”

On June 25, President Biden issued a “fact sheet” and, again, called for the passage of the Equality Act, saying, “it will provide long overdue civil rights protections for millions of Americans.” The document falsely claims that the Equality Act “would also strengthen civil rights protections for other protected groups, including […] people of faith by expanding where non-discrimination protections apply to public accommodations.”

On June 25, President Biden issued an executive order on “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce” that “establishes that it is the policy of Administration to cultivate a workforce that draws from the full diversity of the Nation.” It contains a specific section on LGBT-identifying individuals, calling on all agencies to affirm the self-professed identity of employees regardless of biological sex. It further calls for hormones and surgeries to be covered by insurance. Further, it calls for identification standards to include non-binary gender markers where gender markers are required in employee systems and profiles.

On June 30, the United States joined global partners and announced commitments to the Generational Equality Forum to push an abortion and LGBT agenda on other nations.

On June 30, the Biden administration put out a fact sheet on all the actions it had taken to mandate gender identity ideology through the federal government, the country, and the world. The White House hosted a “Virtual Convening on Transgender Equality,” created a new White House-led Interagency Working Group on Safety, Inclusion, and Opportunity for Transgender Americans, noted that it is taking steps to allow for gender identity to be used on federal identification documents, and released a “tool-kit” with “best practices” in these regards.

On July 9, HHS updated its Interoperability Standards to support the electronic exchange of sexual orientation, gender identity, and other social determinants of health.

On July 23, the Biden administration held a roundtable with men of color who identify as transgender. Participants shared their policy recommendations for advancing gender identity ideology.

On August 17, the U.S. Departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services put out a back-to-school video addressed to transgender students. The video was essentially a threat to schools that don’t adopt gender identity ideology.

On September 15, the State Department requested public comment on its proposed policy to ingratiate gender identity ideology into the passport application process by allowing applicants to select the gender marker on their passport without presenting medical documentation of gender transition. This policy change also includes updating forms to add a third option of “X” for applicants identifying as non-binary, intersex, and/or gender non-conforming. This could have significant national security implications should someone use this option to hide their true identity.

On September 20, the White House released a statement on the 10th anniversary of the repeal of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy which previously barred gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members from openly serving in the military. Biden said this repeal “helped move our nation closer to its foundational promise of equality, dignity, and opportunity for all” and expressed his thanks to LGBTQ+ military service members. The statement paid no heed to the concerns noted in the previous administration’s report on open service by those who identify as transgender and how pushing a progressive social agenda in our military is detrimental to its lethality, readiness, and unit cohesion.
International Religious Freedom

On March 22, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned two current Chinese government officials in connection with serious human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, China.

On March 30, Secretary of State Antony Blinken repudiated the findings of the Trump administration’s Commission on Unalienable Rights, which sought to focus America’s attention on the human rights enumerated in America’s founding documents and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

On April 14, President Biden announced his intention to withdraw from Afghanistan in time for the 20th anniversary of September 11, ahead of the previously determined withdrawal date in 2022. The poor handling of the withdrawal enabled the Taliban to take over the country and senselessly endangered the lives of Christians and other minorities who could now face death at the hands of the Taliban.
On July 30, President Biden nominated Rashad Hussain as ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

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DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE:

Resolution Regarding the Religiously Unaffiliated Demographic
WHEREAS, the religiously unaffiliated demographic has tripled in the last two decades, now
representing 25% of the overall American population and 35% of those under the age of 30; and
WHEREAS, religiously unaffiliated Americans overwhelmingly share the Democratic Party’s
values, with 70% voting for Democrats in 2018, 80% supporting same-sex marriage, and 61%
saying immigrants make American society stronger; and
WHEREAS, the religiously unaffiliated demographic represents the largest religious group
within the Democratic Party, growing from 19% in 2007 to one in three today; and
WHEREAS, the nonreligious have often been subjected to unfair bias and exclusion in
American society, particularly in the areas of politics and policymaking where assumptions of
religiosity have long predominated; and
WHEREAS, those most loudly claiming that morals, values, and patriotism must be defined by
their particular religious views have used those religious views, with misplaced claims of
“religious liberty,” to justify public policy that has threatened the civil rights and liberties of
many Americans, including but not limited to the LGBT community, women, and ethnic and
religious/nonreligious minorities; and
WHEREAS, the Democratic Party is an inclusive organization that recognizes that morals,
values, and patriotism are not unique to any particular religion, and are not necessarily reliant on
having a religious worldview at all; and
WHEREAS, nonreligious Americans made up 17% of the electorate in 2018 and have the
potential to deliver millions more votes for Democrats in 2020 with targeted outreach to further
increase turnout of nonreligious voters; and
WHEREAS, a record number of openly nonreligious candidates are running for public office;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL
COMMITTEE recognizes:
1. The value, ethical soundness, and importance of the religiously unaffiliated
demographic, a group of Americans who contribute in innumerable ways to the
arts, sciences, medicine, business, law, the military, their communities, the success
of the Party and prosperity of the Nation; and
2. That religiously unaffiliated Americans are a group that, as much as any other,
advocates for rational public policy based on sound science and universal
humanistic values and should be represented, included, and heard by the Party.

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PARTY PLATFORM COMPARISON

SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE
DEMOCRAT
Calls for government funded abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy, by “repealing the Hyde Amendment”, which bars federal money for elective abortion.

Will “overturn—federal and state laws and policies that impede a woman’s access to abortion.”

“We will continue to stand up to Republican efforts to de-fund Planned Parenthood.”

REPUBLICAN
“Proud to be the party that protects human life and offers real solutions for women” and “strongly oppose[s] infanticide.” Supports the following: the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act; a human life constitutional amendment; a ban on abortion at 20 weeks, when unborn babies can feel pain; a ban on abortion based on sex or disability; a ban on dismemberment abortion “in which unborn babies are literally torn apart limb from limb”; abortion clinic safety regulations; a ban on human cloning, and on creating and experimenting upon human embryos, including three-parent embryos; a ban on any sale of fetal body parts; and a ban on the “use of public funds to perform or promote abortion or to fund organizations, like Planned Parenthood.”

REDEFINING MARRIAGE
DEMOCRAT
Supports the redefinition of marriage through the Court’s judicial activism in Obergefell “that recognized LGBT people…have the right to marry the person they love.”

REPUBLICAN
“The American family… is the foundation of civil society,and the cornerstone of the family is natural marriage, the union of one man and one woman.”

“We condemn the Supreme Court’s ruling in…Obergefell v. Hodges” and“we urge its reversal, whether through judicial reconsideration or a constitutional amendment returning control over marriage to the states.”

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY VS. LGBT AGENDA
DEMOCRAT
Claims LGBT rights trump religious freedom, and “reject[s] the misuse of religion to discriminate.”

Will punish faith-based organizations that contract with the government and pull the tax exempt status of religious universities without trans-gender bathrooms and showers through imposing “federal non-discrimination protections for all LGBT Americans” on the basis of “gender, sexual orientation, gender identity.”

REPUBLICAN
“Strongly support[s] the freedom of Americans to act in accordance with their religious beliefs, not only in their houses of worship, but also in their everyday lives.”

“We value the right of America’s religious leaders to preach, and Americans to speak freely, according to their faith. Republicans believe the federal government, specifically the IRS, is constitutionally prohibited from policing or censoring speech based on religious convictions or beliefs, and therefore urge the repeal of the Johnson Amendment.”

CONSCIENCE RIGHTS IN HEALTHCARE
DEMOCRAT
Supports the coercive HHS contraception mandate against faith-based groups like Little Sisters of the Poor.

Supports the Obama administration’s redefinition of “sex discrimination”to include abortion and sex change operations.

REPUBLICAN
Supports the conscience rights of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and health care plans that do not want to participate in morally objectionable services like abortion.

Supports “the right of parents to determine the proper medical treatment and therapy for their minor children.”

GOD IN GOVERNMENT
DEMOCRAT
Silent on the role of God in government.

REPUBLICAN
“If God-given, natural, inalienable rights come in conflict with government, court, or human-granted rights, God-given, natural, inalienable rights always prevail.”

“We support the public display of the Ten Commandments as a reflection of our history and our country’s Judeo-Christian heritage.” Will “fight for school choice” and “local control.”

SUPREME COURT
DEMOCRAT
Will “appoint judges [to]…protect a woman’s right to…abortion” and a progressive agenda of “equality for all” in which LGBT rights trump religious liberty.

REPUBLICAN
“We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life.”

Seeks to “enable courts to begin to reverse the long line of activist decisions—including Roe, Obergefell, and the Obamacare cases.”

DEMOCRAT
Silent on school choice.

“We believe a strong public education system is an anchor of our democracy” for “all children.”

REPUBLICAN
Will “fight for school choice” and “local control.”

Recognizes that “parents,” not the government, “are a child’s first and foremost educators, and opposes Common Core.”

Supports home-schooling, private or parochial schools, vouchers, and tuition tax credits, etc.

Encourages teaching the Bible as an elective in public schools.

SEX EDUCATION
DEMOCRAT
Promotes “condom-based sex education.”

REPUBLICAN
Supports “sexual risk avoidance education that sets abstinence until marriage as the responsible and respected standard of behavior.”

TRANS-GENDER BATHROOMS IN SCHOOLS
DEMOCRAT
Supports the Obama administration’s redefinition of “sex discrimination” in Title IX to mandate trans-gender bathrooms and showers in public schools and universities through “the continued development of sex discrimination law to cover LGBT people.”

REPUBLICAN
Opposes the Obama administration’s Title IX trans-gender bathroom edict, since it is “at once illegal, dangerous, and ignores privacy issues,” and “impose[s] a social and cultural revolution upon the American people by wrongly redefining sex discrimination to include sexual orientation or other categories.”

DEMOCRAT
Supports the “repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Claims “our military is strongest” when it includes “people of all…sexual orientations and gender identities,” such as by paying for trans-gender sex change operations and allowing men with gender dysphoria to use women’s showers, barracks, and bathrooms.

Pushes to include elective abortion coverage in military and veterans benefits.

REPUBLICAN
“We reject the use of the military as a platform for social experimentation and will not accept or continue attempts to undermine military priorities and mission readiness.” “Military readiness should not be sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.”

“Support[s] the religious freedom of all military members, especially chaplains, and will not tolerate attempts to ban Bibles or religious symbols from military facilities.”

Opposes the “Selective Service registration of women for a possible future draft.”

INTERNATIONAL ABORTION AND LGBT AGENDA
DEMOCRAT
Calls for funding abortion on demand overseas by repealing the Helms Amendment, which bars U.S. foreign money for abortion.

Will “ensure America’s foreign policy is inclusive of LGBT people around the world…including combating efforts by any nation to infringe on LGBT rights or ignore abuse.”

REPUBLICAN
Opposes the federal government funding abortion overseas and calls for restoring the Mexico City Policy, to bar federal money from going to foreign organizations which “provide or promote abortion,” or are complicit in China’s one-child policy.

Condemns the Obama administration for “impos[ing] on foreign recipients, especially the peoples of Africa, its own radical social agenda while excluding faith-based groups.”

ON TERRORISM
DEMOCRAT
Believes in “defeating terrorism and combating climate change.”

REPUBLICAN
“Radical Islamic terrorism poses an existential threat to personal freedom and peace around the world. We oppose its brutal assault on all human beings, all of whom have inherent dignity.”

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