From "First Amendment Trampled with ENDA Passage" posted 11/7/07 at LibertyCounsel.org
On Wednesday, lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives passed -- largely along party lines -- H.R. 3685, the so-called Employment Non-discrimination Act (ENDA), by a vote of 235–184.
Matt Barber, CWA's Policy Director for Cultural Issues, said, "By passing this Orwellian piece of legislation, the Democrat-controlled House has displayed exceptional arrogance. Congress apparently believes it has carte blanche authority to nullify any constitutional provision which it finds bothersome. In this case, they've drawn a black line through the free exercise clause of the First Amendment."
ENDA contains an extremely weak religious exemption which might partially protect some religious organizations but would leave many others -- such as Bible bookstores and many Christian schools -- entirely unprotected. It would additionally crush individual business owners' guaranteed First Amendment rights.
"For any religious exemption to pass constitutional muster," said Barber, "it would have to apply to the individual business owner. The First Amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion. This applies to all individual citizens, not just to a church, religious organization or corporation. ENDA would unconstitutionally force business owners to abandon their faith at the workplace door and adopt a view of sexual morality which runs directly counter to central tenets of every major world religion and thousands of years of history.
..."This bill represents the goose that laid the golden egg for homosexual activist attorneys and, if signed into law, will open the floodgates for lawsuits against employers who wish to live out their faith," concluded Barber. Read the rest.
In 2003, the Senate version of the bill had 35 cosponsors. We cannot give up on the Senate, but it is time to make sure that President Bush stands firm! You can track the bill's progress at the Library of Congress website.
...Sen. Kennedy, Sen. Frank and others are unconcerned that this bill endangers Christian Americans. The religious freedom of Christian employees and business owners is in jeopardy! Read more about the dangers of ENDA.
President Bush has said that he will veto the bill. A veto override would require 270 votes (2/3 of the House).
Read the the whole alert.Please E-mail President Bush and urge him to VETO this bill.
