Analysis
The Alabama IVF Ruling Weaponizes Faith to Harm Families
"The decision in Alabama is an extension of the disastrous decision taken by the Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson last year to strike down the right of women to make decisions about their bodies. And just as we predicted, women are suffering because of it—some are even being forced to carry nonviable pregnancies to term.
"Maddeningly, this is all being done in the name of faith. The Court ruling so clearly reflects a singular religious viewpoint held by the justices, with lines in the ruling stating that “God made every person in His image” and that to destroy a frozen embryo is to invite the “wrath of a holy God.” By imposing its narrow view of morality and religion on all Alabamians, the Court has taken a sledgehammer to the First Amendment, which guarantees every person’s freedom to believe as we choose.
"Let’s be abundantly clear: We respect the right of each person to make a personal decision about their bodies, their embryos and their families. We acknowledge the real grief of the couples whose embryos were accidentally destroyed, and our hearts go out to them for the pain they have endured.
"However, ruling that embryos are human life with legal rights is making a theological statement, rather than a legal or scientific one. We’re watching before our eyes a clear erosion of church and state. In case the judges in Alabama forgot, we live in a country that was intentionally founded to protect diverse religious practices and beliefs. By imposing their own religious beliefs on all Alabamans, the judges have violated our fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Transcript
New Report Sheds Light on the the Growing Threat of Christian Nationalism
A new report by the Public Religion Research Institute finds that support for Christian nationalism is growing in the U.S., with nearly one-third of Americans qualifying as adherents or sympathizers and higher concentrations in parts of the South and Midwest. The study highlights strong links between these beliefs and support for authoritarianism, political violence, and anti-immigrant policies, underscoring concerns about their impact on democracy and religious freedom.
Pluralism is Democracy in Action
On July 4, America will mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. That day in 1776, the nation’s founders put forward a bold vision for a new democratic experiment, one rooted in shared values, with power derived from the people rather than imposed by a monarch or religious authority:
