People of diverse faiths and beliefs are criticizing Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s decision Friday to halt FDA approval of the abortion pill mifepristone as an egregious violation of religious freedom.
The Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush, president and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, released the following statement:
"The suspension of mifepristone is the anti-choice movement’s latest attempt to force the religious beliefs of a few on the bodies of many. Contrary to the narrative being pushed by Christian nationalists, with whom the ruling judge has close ties, reproductive freedom is an essential part of religious freedom. This is a clear overstep by an activist judge, motivated more by theology than the law.
"Various religious traditions approach matters of health care differently. Americans should have the ability to make decisions based on their own beliefs and circumstances, not the religious views of public officials. This ruling is completely out of step with the views of Americans from almost every religious tradition according to polls and underlined by the recent Supreme Court vote in Wisconsin, where abortion was a major factor in the landslide victory of Janet Protasiewicz.
"If one thing has become clear since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, it’s that people of faith and conscience will not cede ground to an extreme minority, and will continue to fight for all people to have access to comprehensive reproductive services."

Interfaith Alliance, a leading advocate for healthy boundaries between religion and government, is disappointed by yesterday's ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in Rev. Roake v. Brumley that allowed Louisiana to enforce its law requiring public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom from Kindergarten to college. Interfaith Alliance was one of 20 religious organizations that co-signed a friend-of-the-court brief in the case.

New York City – A multi-faith coalition has united to file a lawsuit challenging the unlawful creation of the Trump-Vance administration’s so-called Religious Liberty Commission, pointing to violations of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and the unbalanced and biased viewpoints assembled for the panel. The lawsuit comes as the commission meets today at the Museum of the Bible.

Interfaith Alliance, a leading national advocate for religious freedom and civil rights, responded today to President Trump’s outrageous comments at today’s National Prayer Breakfast, where he stated that “I don’t know how a person of faith can vote for a Democrat. I really don’t” and falsely claimed to be championing and protecting religious liberty.