One of the most contentious legal and cultural disputes of the day is the seeming conflict between protecting the free exercise of religion and of free speech, on the one hand, and the strong state interest in enforcing prohibitions against discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, on the other.
That conundrum plays out most starkly when anti-discrimination laws are applied to religious and religiously affiliated institutions, where the arguments for protecting religious autonomy are the strongest. Congress currently has before it several legislative initiatives at the epicenter of this conflict in the form of the Equality Act, the Do No Harm Act, and the Fairness for All Act.
In this timely program, the panelists present views from diverse perspectives on the merits and demerits of these initiatives and on the larger question of how best to draw the balance between protecting the ability of faith-based institutions to operate in accord with their tenets and safeguarding all Americans from invidious discrimination.
That conundrum plays out most starkly when anti-discrimination laws are applied to religious and religiously affiliated institutions, where the arguments for protecting religious autonomy are the strongest. Congress currently has before it several legislative initiatives at the epicenter of this conflict in the form of the Equality Act, the Do No Harm Act, and the Fairness for All concept (not yet introduced as legislation).
In this timely program, the panelists will present views from diverse perspectives on the merits and demerits of these initiatives and on the larger question of how best to draw the balance between protecting the ability of faith-based institutions to operate in accord with their tenets and safeguarding all Americans from invidious discrimination.
That conundrum plays out most starkly when anti-discrimination laws are applied to religious and religiously affiliated institutions, where the arguments for protecting religious autonomy are the strongest. Congress currently has before it several legislative initiatives at the epicenter of this conflict in the form of the Equality Act, the Do No Harm Act, and the Fairness for All concept (not yet introduced as legislation).
In this timely program, the panelists will present views from diverse perspectives on the merits and demerits of these initiatives and on the larger question of how best to draw the balance between protecting the ability of faith-based institutions to operate in accord with their tenets and safeguarding all Americans from invidious discrimination.
That conundrum plays out most starkly when anti-discrimination laws are applied to religious and religiously affiliated institutions, where the arguments for protecting religious autonomy are the strongest. Congress currently has before it several legislative initiatives at the epicenter of this conflict in the form of the Equality Act, the Do No Harm Act, and the Fairness for All concept (not yet introduced as legislation).
In this timely program, the panelists will present views from diverse perspectives on the merits and demerits of these initiatives and on the larger question of how best to draw the balance between protecting the ability of faith-based institutions to operate in accord with their tenets and safeguarding all Americans from invidious discrimination.