NASHVILLE (BP) — The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and partners are celebrating the rollback of proposed Biden administration rules – one set connected to foreign aid grants and the other potentially forcing employers to grant abortifacients against their will.
“The withdrawal of these rules is … why the ERLC advocates for Southern Baptists beliefs through the federal rulemaking process. It makes a difference. We are hopeful that these actions will help build pro-life momentum as the new Trump Administration takes office.”
Miles Mullin, vice president
Proposed rules with the Department of State, presented in the spirit of inclusion, would have tied the availability of foreign aid to the hiring practices of organizations providing the aid. Such a step would have required faith-based organizations to decide whether to adhere to their religious beliefs or compromise those beliefs on issues such as sexual orientation and gender identity in order to be eligible for federal assistance, ERLC leaders said shortly after the proposed changes were brought forward early last year.
The ERLC joined five other groups in comments presenting their arguments, including the viability of an existing waiver for faith-based organizations.
“The Biden Administration’s reasoning for the withdrawal of these harmful federal rules makes it clear that the ERLC’s engagement mattered a great deal. First, our comments necessitated a response from these federal agencies, delaying the effective date of these rules. Second, in their reasoning, the withdrawal of the Department of State’s rule references the specific concerns we expressed in our comments. The ERLC will continue to serve Southern Baptists by evaluating and commenting on proposed federal rulemaking, so that our church members can focus on living out their faith without fear of government backlash.”
Allison Cantrell, senior policy associate
Read the full Baptist Press article here.
