Connecticut May Cancel School Religious Vaccination Exemption, China Denies Suppression of Religion, Photos of 10 Indian World Heritage Sites, States Writing Religious Freedom Bills, Biden Seeks to Block Trans Surgery Exemption, Worst Religious Freedom Violators, Texas Ends Clergy Death Chamber Ban
Connecticut May Cancel School Religious Vaccination Exemption
China Denies Suppression of Religion
China’s government last week rejected accusations of abuses in the Xinjiang region after Human Rights Watch appealed for a U.N. investigation into possible crimes against humanity. Accusations of forced labor or detentions are “lies and false information concocted by anti-China forces,” said a government spokesman. Human Rights Watch wants the UN to investigate reports of mass detention of Muslims in camps, suppression of religious practices and other “crimes against humanity.” The government says the camps are for job training to support economic development and combat Islamic radicalism. China has denied United Nations unfettered access to the region.
Photos of 10 Indian World Heritage Sites
States Writing Religious Freedom Bills
A Montana bill now codifies the right of people to challenge government regulations that interfere with their religious beliefs. Such laws have reportedly been used to defend a Native American charged with illegally possessing eagle feathers for religious purposes, and to uphold a student’s right to mention faith in God during a graduation speech. Opponents fear the law will allow businesses to local ordinances prohibiting discrimination in housing or employment based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Biden Administration Seeks to Block Religious Exemption for Trans Surgery
The so-called “transgender mandate” in the Affordable Care Act – which opponents say forces doctors and hospitals to perform gender-transition procedures against their moral conscience and professional medical judgment – was blocked by a court, but the blockage is now being appealed by the Biden Administration. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA, “bars the U.S. government from forcing Catholic health care providers to perform gender-transition related procedures and from forcing employers to provide insurance to pay for them,” the District Court said.
Report Released on Religious Freedom Violators
Texas Ends Clergy Ban in Death Chamber