President Joe Biden’s war on religious groups continues.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on Thursday that it would repeal Trump-era actions that allowed certain states and child welfare agencies to block adoptions by gay couples on religious grounds.
In a statement, the HHS said it was reaffirming “its important commitment to core American values.”
“HHS will not condone the blanket use of religious exemptions against any person or blank checks to allow discrimination against any persons, importantly including LGBTQ+ persons in taxpayer-funded programs,” the statement added.
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra added in the statement, “Today’s action supports the bedrock American principle and a core mission of our Department – to ensure Americans have access to quality health and human services.”
“Our action ensures we are best prepared to protect every American’s right to be free of discrimination. With the large number of discrimination claims before us, we owe it to all who come forward to act, whether to review, investigate or take appropriate measures to protect their rights. At HHS, we treat any violation of civil rights or religious freedoms seriously.”
The Trump administration had granted exemptions based on religious objections to federal “nondiscrimination requirements” to South Carolina, Texas, and Michigan, as well as some child-welfare agencies in those states.
Biden’s HHS called the waivers “inappropriate and unnecessary.” They were also “inconsistent with the [Biden administration’s] critical goal of combating discrimination based on religion, sexual orientation, and gender identity.”
In its press release, the HHS said it would continue to evaluate claims of religious exemptions on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the Religious Freedom and Restoration Act.
Christians, however, should take that with many grains of salt.
As The Free Press has reported, including as recently as earlier this week, Biden has vowed to force religious groups to provide contraception coverage in violation of their faith. His administration also has dismissed religious claims from troops to be exempt from Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and also removed protections for federal contractors who cited their religious beliefs for the basis of some hiring practices.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, Jerry Davis, president of the College of the Ozarks, a private Christian college, noted that the housing policy and character of his 115-year-old school were threatened by Biden.
The college was in court fighting an administration rule that bans segregated living quarters for men and women in an effort to “eradicate housing discrimination” based on “gender identity.”
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