.Brent Leatherwood, president of the SBC’s Integrity & Religious Freedom Commission, which is actually the denomination’s public policy arm, takes aim at LGBTQ+ defenses, abortion get access to in priorities request.Leatherwood letter shows confidence among evangelical Religious for Trump’s second term, despite fallout earlier on campaign route over GOP softening stance on abortion.In enhancement to carried on advocacy for abortion stipulations, Leatherwood letter to Trump indicators evangelicals expects turning around LGBTQ+ antidiscrimination protections.In a pen of christian Christians’ expect President-elect Donald Trump’s 2nd phrase, Southern Baptist Rule public policy innovators asked the incoming management to prioritize limiting abortion and reversing antidiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people.Despite evangelicals’ aggravation with Trump on the campaign route for alleviating his position versus abortion, a character coming from the SBC’s Integrity & Religious Liberty Percentage to Trump’s change staff reveals a restored optimism for conventional policy postures on major social issues.The letter describes a series of plan priorities for the Trump management to consider in its 1st one hundred days: restraining gain access to as well as backing for abortion providers and also the abortion pill, reversing a manager order given out through Head of state Joe Biden with support to federal organizations on antidiscrimination defenses for LGBTQ+ folks, and also turning around various other federal government policies under Biden guarding LGBTQ+ civil liberties.” Head of state Trump are going to reassure numerous Americans that they are going to not be targeted due to the federal authorities simply for caring about biological realities or even holding to their theological sentiments,” Brent Leatherwood, head of state of the Ethics & Religious Freedom Commission, stated in a Nov. 11 letter to Trump shift crew co-chairs Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon.Leatherwood’s endorsement to the targeting of theological strong beliefs on sex is a reaction to a Biden management exec purchase labelled “Stopping and also Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Sex Identity or Sexual Orientation,” a manual of rules for government companies on implementing antidiscrimination securities for LGBTQ+ people.Similarly, Leatherwood took note various other guidelines approved under the Biden administration by the U.S. Division of Wellness as well as Human Solutions and also USA Department of Education prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in health plan, trainee financial aid as well as foster care.The Ethics & Religious Freedom Commission has actually long been very most active in advocating for abortion limitations, though it is actually frequently active in resisting LGBTQ+ legal rights.
Recently, the public policy branch submitted an amicus short along with the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Tennessee’s gender-affirming treatment ban.Leatherwood likewise inquired Trump to prioritize other abortion-related things, consisting of reversing improved access to mifepristone. On top of that, he asked the Trump management to reinstate policies that prevent abortion treatment carriers coming from obtaining federal backing.” President Trump will certainly initiate a revived pay attention to defending life and the deeply-held faiths of citizens from authorities overreach,” Leatherwood pointed out in his letter.On the project trail earlier this year, Trump and also Vice President-elect JD Vance outraged a lot of evangelicals for softening their position on abortion by stopping at ask for a federal government abortion ban.
Instead, Trump and Vance talked in favor of states being the ultimate arbiter of abortion policy.The Integrity & Religious Right Compensation has actually been energetic at the condition degree to assist tighter abortion regulations and also supports a government abortion ban.Despite disagreements over attitudes towards abortion, evangelicals supported Trump yet again in the 2024 vote-casting. Group connection and other concerns close to abortion possess considerably animated conservative Christian assistance for Trump, including anticipate the U.S. Supreme Court to maintain its conventional a large number in the lasting future.Related: How SBC public policy arm is actually coping with factional dispute after head of state’s near ousterLiam Adams covers religion for The Tennessean, portion of the United States TODAY Network.
Reach him at ladams@tennessean.com or on social networking sites @liamsadams.