WASHINGTON, D.C., Feb. 12, 2015The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention released its 2015 Legislative Agenda today, outlining issues the organization plans to address in the coming year.
At the top of the list, the ERLC plans to address issues such as the sanctity of human life, religious freedom, human rights and marriage and family.
The ERLC exists to be a witness to and advocate for issues of the common good important to Baptists, said ERLC President Russell Moore. In a cultural moment when religious freedom is increasingly imperiled, with a new Congress, we have new opportunities to engage on these important issues, and I look forward to working with our team to engage in the public square for the cause of religious freedom and the common good.
Other legislative efforts Moore and the ERLC staff plan to cover in 2015 include:
– Abortion Non-Discrimination Act, which would prohibit federal, state and local governments from subjecting any health professional, hospital, provider sponsored organization, health maintenance organization, accountable care organization, health insurance plan, or any other kind of health care facility, organization or plan from discriminating against entities that refuse to participate in abortion-related activities.
– Children in Families First Act, which simplifies the process for families seeking to adopt children internationally and helps foreign governments develop stronger child welfare systems that can find a caring family for every child in need.
– Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which would prohibit performing abortions on babies at 20 weeks or greater gestation, except to save the life of the mother.
– Marriage and Religious Freedom Act, which would prohibit the federal government from taking adverse action against a person if the person acts in accordance with a religious belief that: marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.
– State Marriage Defense Act, which would instruct the federal government to look to a persons state of legal residence when determining marital status and application of federal marriage law.
– Foreign Prison Conditions Improvement Act of 2013, that would bring pressure on foreign governments to institute basic humanitarian measures to address deplorable prison conditions.
The entire ERLC 2015 legislative agenda can be accessed “here”:https://erlc.com/article/erlc-legislative-agenda-2015.
The Southern Baptist Convention is Americas largest Protestant denomination with more than 15.8 million members in over 46,000 churches nationwide. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is the SBCs ethics, religious liberty and public policy agency with offices in Nashville, Tenn., and Washington, D.C.
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