CNN: Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush Responds to Trump's Religious Liberty Commission
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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
The Trump Administration’s Latest Attacks on Muslim Community Leaders
After months in detention, we finally received the good news that Ohio chaplain Ayman Soliman was released from jail as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) dropped his deportation case. Soliman was an interfaith chaplain at a children’s hospital and a longtime leader of the Ohio Muslim community with deep ties to interfaith work across the state. As ProPublica reported, Soliman’s asylum status was restored and his application for a green card was revived. This news came through the dedicated hard work and advocacy of many organizations, particularly CAIR-Ohio and his colleagues at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, who were fired for speaking out on his behalf.
Mahmoud Khalil’s deportation case has alarming implications
Earlier this year, during the holy month of Ramadan, ICE agents followed Columbia graduate student Mahmoud Khalil home after he broke his fast and forcibly detained him without a warrant. Khalil, a Palestinian activist, was then disappeared into an unmarked vehicle and taken to an unknown location as his pregnant wife watched and pleaded for information. It was later revealed that Khalil had been moved to a detention center in Jena, Louisiana, where he faced deportation. He was held for over three months in poor conditions, missing his graduation and the birth of his first child.
True Religious Freedom Means Protecting Our Faith Leaders, Not Detaining Them
In early July, Ayman Soliman, a former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after his asylum status was terminated in June. In response, local faith leaders organized a prayer vigil, rally, and peaceful march; during the march at least 15 protesters were detained by local police and charged with felony rioting.