Should Trump shield religious freedom?
On the campaign trail, President Trump promised to protect religious liberty. Republicans in Congress are pressing him to make good on the promise.
In early April, 18 U.S. senators — Florida Republican Marco Rubio among them — urged the president to sign an executive order that would require agencies of the federal government to respect religious freedom.
That order would reportedly reverse former President Barack Obama’s orders prohibiting discrimination against gays and lesbians in the federal work force or by federal contractors.
USA Today reported that a group of 51 House members wrote Trump to “request that you sign the draft executive order on religious liberty, as reported by numerous outlets on February 2, 2017, in order to protect millions of Americans whose religious freedom has been attacked or threatened over the last eight years.”
After a draft copy of the order was leaked, the White House said Trump had no plans to sign such an order.
Adding to the intrigue, former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, domestic policy chair of the president’s transition team, said in late February in an interview on SiriusXM Progress that the “religious freedom” order is very much on the way.
Should Trump issue the religious freedom order that congressional Republicans are seeking?
For opposing views, we asked two Central Floridians steeped in the issue:
Mathew Staver, chairman of the Liberty Counsel, dedicated to advancing religious freedom.
David Williamson, co-founder of the Central Florida Freethought Community, which is focused on the separation of state and church.