Little Rock, Arkansas—Today, the public policy watchdog American Atheists condemned passage of Arkansas’s church superspreader bill (HB 1211) in the Senate (31-0 with 4 present)....
Arizona Residents: Oppose Public Funding for Deceptive Religious “Pregnancy Centers!”
Today and tomorrow, two legislative committees will hold votes on controversial bills (SB 1251/HB 2404) that could hand over $3 million to religious “pregnancy centers.” These fake pregnancy centers have a religious mission to prevent abortion and use deceptive marketing practices to target and lure pregnant women to facilities posing…...
Arkansas’s Church Superspreader Bill Passes House, Limits Ability to Stop Wave of COVID-19 Infections and Deaths
Little Rock, Arkansas—Today, the public policy watchdog American Atheists expressed grave concern about Arkansas’s church superspreader bill (HB 1211), which passed the Arkansas House 75–10 this afternoon. The bill permits houses of worship to ignore reasonable public health restrictions, increasing the likelihood that they will become COVID-19 superspreader sites....
American Atheists and Other Groups Sue Trump Admin for Gutting Religious Freedom Protections in Social Services Programs
New York, N.Y. — Today, American Atheists joined by a coalition of service and advocacy groups filed suit against the Trump administration for rolling back religious freedom protections that required faith-based organizations providing critical, taxpayer-funded services (like food and shelter) to inform recipients of their legal rights to be free…...
American Atheists and Americans United Sue to Overturn Department of Education Regulation that Forces Universities to Fund Discrimination by Student Groups
Washington, D.C.—Today, the national civil rights organizations American Atheists and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, on behalf of the Secular Student Alliance and a California university student, filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration’s Department of Education to challenge a recently published regulation that forces universities to…...
Stop the Small Business Administration’s Giveaway of Taxpayer Dollars to Religious Organizations!
During the COVID-19 crisis, the Small Business Administration has been temporarily ignoring church/state requirements in order to unconstitutionally bail out houses of worship under the Paycheck Protection Program. As a result, churches and religious organizations have received more than $7.3 billion in taxpayer dollars. Now, the agency is proposing to permanently…...
Does Your State Protect Religious Equality? Tell Your State Lawmakers to Take Action!
American Atheists recently launched the 2020 State of the Secular States report, a comprehensive analysis of state laws that affect religious equality and the separation of religion and government. This report looks at more than 40 positive and negative laws and policies in each state, as well as in Puerto Rico and…...