WTE: United Nations, Religious Freedom, and Universal Healthcare

“The United States is founded on the principle that our rights do not come from government; they come from God. This immortal truth is proclaimed in our Declaration of Independence and enshrined in the First Amendment to our Constitution’s Bill of Rights. Our Founders understood that no right is more fundamental to a peaceful, prosperous, and virtuous society than the right to follow one’s religious convictions.”

With these words, President Trump began a remarkable speech a week ago Monday (September 23, 2019). It underscored that personal virtue, and legal force, is the foundation of all civilization. Unless citizens can be trusted to behave honorably without constant policing, civil society fails. Conscientious piety toward the Creator of all things is the foundation of peace and prosperity.

Trump‘s speech marked the first time that an American president led a meeting on religious freedom at the United Nations. This is remarkable. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has a robust statement on religious freedom. Still, many member nations fine, harass, discriminate, imprison, torture and kill their own citizens for simply living out their faith. Even more scandalous, countries infamous for human rights violations--Azerbaijan, China, Cuba, Nicaragua, Pakistan and Venezuela--sit in privileged seats on the U.N. Human Rights Council!

Vice President Pence, opened the meeting by rebuking the regime in Iran for its brutal treatment of Christian, Sunni, Bahai, Yazidi and Jewish citizens. He called out the communist party in China for persecuting Christians, Uighurs and Muslims. In the western hemisphere, he condemned Daniel Ortego of Nicaragua for his war on Roman Catholics, and Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela for using “hate laws” to prosecute clergy.

Religious persecution is not limited to communists and jihadists. Canada, Australia and England have also arrested and jailed Christian pastors by applying “hate laws” to proscribe the expression of foundational teachings about life, family and human nature.

Even in America scattered states like Colorado and municipalities like Laramie and Jackson have enacted similar laws. The Equality Act would federalize these toxic laws.

Thankfully, the past year has seen numerous landmark rulings overturning such ordinances. Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned punishment that the Colorado Commission on Civil Rights put on Masterpiece Cakeshop. In August the 8th Circuit Court ruled against Minnesota’s attempt to compel the speech of Christian film makers. Most recently, September 26, a federal judge prevented Michigan’s attempt to shutter a Roman Catholic adoption agency for placing children with husband and wife couples.

A September opinion from the Arizona Supreme Court thundered, “rights of free speech and free exercise, so precious to this nation since its founding, are not limited to soft murmurings behind the doors of a person’s home or church, or private conversations with like–minded friends and family.” It reasserted the words of WV Board of Ed. v. Barnette, “freedom to differ is not limited to things that do not matter much . . . [t]he test of its substance is the right to differ as to things that touch the heart of the existing order.” (Brush & Nib Studio v. Phoenix).

President Trump also called out multinational corporations like Amazon, Facebook, Twitter and Google. “Too often, people in positions of power preach diversity while silencing, shunning, or censoring the faithful.  True tolerance means respecting the right of all people to express their deeply held religious beliefs,” He announced “a coalition of U.S. businesses for the protection of religious freedom.”

On the same day that Trump, Pence and Pompeo were defending religious liberty, HHS Secretary, Alex Azar addressed the U.N. meeting on Universal Health Coverage. He announced that 19 nations holding a combined population of over 1.3 billion were issuing a joint statement calling on the U.N. to stop undermining the family and the sovereignty of member nations. Later two additional nations signed on.

The statement reads, in part, “We do not support references to ambiguous terms and expressions, such as ‘sexual and reproductive health and rights’ …because they can undermine the critical role of the family and promote practices, like abortion.” It goes on to say, “we only support sex education that appreciates the protective role of the family in this education and does not condone harmful sexual risks for young people.”

The sanctity of human life, sexuality and the rights of parents to teach these values to their children, like religious freedom itself, comes from God and not from government. Those undermining morality and parental rights—whether at the U.N. or in the local classroom--are attacking religious freedom.

Last week America led the world in defending religious freedom against the globalist leviathan. Parents, school boards, and legislators in Wyoming should be encouraged and do their part to defend these same principles at home.