(founder of Focus on the Family) pooled their resources to create an ACLU for the religious right. Leaders of the religious right felt that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had remade the relationship between church and state, pushing religion further and further outside the public sphere.Īs a result, Christian leaders like Bill and Vonette Bright (founders of Campus Crusade for Christ) and James Dobson Jr. The alliance was founded in 1994, in the midst of the culture wars in the US. The Supreme Court found in favour of Hobby Lobby and the ADF, essentially ruling that not only were corporations people, but they were people with inviolable religious rights. The ADF was the prime mover behind the Hobby Lobby case, which argued that for-profit corporations could not be required to provide contraceptive coverage for their employees if such coverage violated the owners’ religious beliefs. While public pressure has put the brakes on RFRAs in many states, the strategy has had a major impact nationally. On a broader scale, the profusion of “religious freedom restoration acts” (RFRAs) in the US can be traced to work done by groups like the ADF, which consults state legislatures on how to draft RFRAs that have the best possible chance of surviving a legal challenge. Now it carries the banner of “religious liberty”, arguing that legislation expanding same-sex rights or reproductive access infringes on the religious freedom of conservative Christians.ĭon’t want to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding? Worried that your child’s biology textbook contains references to contraception and sexually transmitted infections? Call the ADF. But, in recent years, the ADF – like a number of other conservative legal advocacy groups – has shifted tactics. So, the ADF has not been very effective on the issue. Same-sex marriage is now legal nationwide in the US. Having lost that fight, it turned its attention to defeating same-sex marriage laws. The Supreme Court subsequently ruled such laws unconstitutional. In 2003, the ADF filed an amicus brief defending the right of states to criminalise gay sex. It is primarily interested in any cases to do with gay rights or reproductive rights. It has more than 40 lawyers on staff, and has trained more than 1300 law students and 1700 practising lawyers. Through test cases, legal strategies, and consultation with state legislators, the ADF seeks to promote conservative interpretations of the law, particularly on issues important to the religious right. Unlike lobbying groups, which typically work to influence legislation, the ADF aims its arrows at the judiciary. Originally called the Alliance Defense Fund, it is a legal advocacy group. Here’s a look at how each is remaking American politics – and what it might mean for Australia. But these groups play a critical role in advancing conservative policies. And, on Tuesday, former defence minister Kevin Andrews will be in Washington to speak on Australian security and defence at a gathering of the Heritage Foundation.Įven many Americans don’t know much about organisations like the ADF and Heritage. Former prime minister Tony Abbott delivered a speech in New York to one such group, the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). American conservative organisations have loomed large in Australian politics in the past week.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |