Recently, a number of articles have run in the paper highlighting my “Freedom of Conscience” amendment. While this legislation has been worked on for months and was introduced weeks ago, I could not help but notice that news sources waited until MLK Day to report on it. By doing so, the media added an unnecessary and repugnant undercurrent of racial prejudice to my proposal. My amendment is not about race. It is not about civil rights. My proposal is about expanding individual liberty – about protecting folks of all faiths and backgrounds from being punished by government for living according the tenants of their sincerely held beliefs. It does not remove or amend any existing discrimination laws and it is certainly not designed to erode the progress our nation has made over the past 150 years. Some have criticized my amendment as violating the separation of church and state. I strongly disagree. My proposal expressly prohibits the state from telling people what sincere beliefs they can and cannot hold. Pennsylvania was founded as a safe haven for those seeking relief from the religious persecution of an intrusive central government. I believe that is an ideal that is worth pursuing and worth preserving.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Jan 2014 22:44:19 +0000