Liberty & Justice for All: Jay Sekulow and the Left Debate Religious Liberty TODAY

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OCTOBER 3, 2012 Are People of Faith Being Treated Like Second-Class Citizens? Debate TODAY Religious freedom is one of the core principles on which the American system of government is based. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Don't miss The Debate on Religious Liberty at Heritage, Live Today at Noon >> In a 1789 letter to the United Baptists in Virginia, President George Washington stated: "If I could have entertained the slightest apprehension that the Constitution framed in the Convention, where I had the honor to preside, might possibly endanger the religious rights of any ecclesiastical Society, certainly I would never have placed my signature to it..." Religious freedom in America Is under assault today as never before. Some politicians mock the sincerely held beliefs of religious adherents of different faiths who object to government actions based on conscience, while government entities and actors treat religious freedom and expression as obstacles to be overcome, rather than as important values to protect. For example, a Seattle elementary school insisted that students refer to Easter eggs as “spring spheres.” Other schools have prohibited students from distributing candy canes and pencils with a religious message to fellow classmates during school holiday and birthday parties, while other students were permitted to distribute goody bags to their classmates. Through a mandate by the Department of Health and Human Services, the government is seeking to require all employers (regardless of the owners' beliefs) to cover sterilization, prescription contraceptives, abortion-inducing drugs, and related patient education and counseling services in their health insurance plans. This mandate is now being challenged in courts of law as described in this Legal Memorandum. To hear more about this timely subject, please join us at The Heritage Foundation today at noon or tune in online for a lively debate on whether religious institutions and individuals are being treated like second-class citizens – a special event which is part of our Preserve the Constitution Series. Our panelists will be Jay Sekulow from American Center for Law and Justice, Marci Hamilton from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Richard Land of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and William Galston from The Brookings Institution. Have you seen religious liberty threatened? Raise your voice and interact with other readers online >> Univision Asks President Obama the Tough Questions on Fast and Furious Scandal Senator Rand Paul Gets it Right, There's Too Many Criminal Laws Left-Wing Group: Deceased and Noncitizens Should Remain on the Voter Rolls In-Depth Heritage Interview on Overcriminalization Watch and Share NEW VIDEO: Voter Fraud 101   Preview of the 2012 Supreme Court Term The recently concluded Supreme Court term was one of the most important in decades... and the  term just beginning will include compelling cases as well. While even veteran Supreme Court prognosticators can predict only the first few "innings" of a given term—congressional action and lower court decisions alter the playing field—there could well be some surprises on the horizon. Read the rest of the story >>   The Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is the nation’s most broadly supported public policy organization. Heritage created the Center for Legal and Judicial Studies in 2001 to educate government officials, the media and the public about the Constitution, legal principles and how they affect public policy. The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 | 202.546.4400 | heritage.org