Congregations learn to embrace disabled members
Diverse religious traditions share a common imperative to care for the marginalized, yet when it comes to people with disabilities, congregations have often struggled to adapt and be welcoming.
Diverse religious traditions share a common imperative to care for the marginalized, yet when it comes to people with disabilities, congregations have often struggled to adapt and be welcoming.
Read a May 13, 2014, Dallas Morning News blog post by the father of two teens who have severe intellectual disabilities and autism.
According to LifeWay Research findings released in November 2012, 43 percent of Americans “strongly agreed” and 20 percent “somewhat agreed” that businesses should be required to provide employees with health care coverage that includes contraception at no cost even if it violates the business owners’ religious convictions.
The Coalition to Stop the HHS Mandate, also known as the Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally Coalition, includes more than 100 groups nationwide that say the contraception coverage mandate infringes on religious liberty. The coalition’s website includes a hotlinked list of member organizations.
Read a March 6, 2014, JTA story about a conflict in the Jewish community over distribution of a children’s book that depicts a family with two dads.
Rose Saxe is an adjunct faculty member at Columbia Law School in New York and a staff attorney at the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender and AIDS Projects. She has worked on issues involving the intersection of civil rights for LGBT people and religious freedom and expression.
According to a survey released in June 2013 by the Pew Research Center, 51 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage, and nearly three out of four people think legal recognition of it is inevitable.
Read a March 5, 2014, story in Our Sunday Visitor about resources the Catholic Church offers to help parents and parishes prepare special-needs children for the sacraments.
Jodi Magee is founding president and CEO of Physicians for Reproductive Health.