Home »
News &
Events » News Archive » 2001 Press Releases
ACLU Says Bush Initiative Represents Faith-Based Prescription for
Discrimination
January 29, 2001
MIAMI ? The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida said today that President George Bush's new initiative to give tax dollars to religious organizations, and similar proposals endorsed by Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, would lead to governmentfunded discrimination in employment and services and a dangerous loosening of licensing and standards for providers of social services.
"Religiously-affiliated organizations immeasurably add to the social welfare of our country," said ACLU of Florida Executive Director Howard L. Simon. "But the President's initiative is a dangerous intermingling of church and state that will allow tax dollars to be used for religious proselytizing, and allow the government to pick and choose which religious agencies will receive federal funding."
The ACLU and others, including the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, say that the Bush faithbased initiative would both violate the separation of church and state and allow taxpayer funds to be used in several discriminatory ways. The initiative would allow for taxpayerfunded discrimination in:
1) Employment. Because religious organizations are exempt from many civil rights laws, they are allowed to discriminate on the basis of their religious beliefs and teachings about race, religion, sexual orientation, gender and pregnancy status. Under the Bush initiative, for example, a Catholic church receiving public funds for literacy programs could fire a teacher for getting pregnant outside of marriage or an Orthodox Jewish synagogue that operated a food bank could refuse to hire nonJews or women.
2) Provision of Services. Under the Bush initiative, there are no restrictions on how religious organizations incorporate their beliefs in the delivery of social services. These groups would be allowed to decide who gets priority for services and what services are actually provided. The ACLU believes that the lack of protections could lead to discrimination against those who most need help. A Baptist church that is running a local housing program could, for example, give preference to lowincome people in their own congregation.
The ACLU also said that the Bush initiative would not require that religious organizations hire trained and licensed counselors and therapists to deliver social services. In Texas, where thenGovernor Bush implemented many elements of his new federal program, a churchbased drug rehabilitation program argued that drug addiction was a sin, not a disease, and offered prayer and Bible reading as "treatment."
"Priests, ministers and rabbis are the best people to offer spiritual guidance that can be helpful to people in need," said Laura W. Murphy, Director of the ACLU Washington National Office. "But many individuals faced with drug addiction, mental illness and other problems need more than spiritual advice. They need people who are trained and licensed to address their specific physical and psychological needs."
