Biden Administration Hinting At Rolling Back Religious Liberties: Report

A reported memo from the Director of the Office for Civil Rights within the Biden Administration’s Health and Human Services Department hints of the Biden administration’s apparent desire to roll back religious liberties.

In a draft memo to Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra from Lisa Pino, the Director of the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), she writes of the Trump administration’s delegation in 2017 for the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to prevent violations of religious liberty:

Prior to the delegation in 2017, no division was singularly responsible for the Department’s compliance with RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act) or the First Amendment. … That model recognized that all components of HHS had a responsibility for compliance and that OGC [Office of General Counsel] was a central partner in providing key legal advice on RFRA and defending the Department when RFRA claims were raised. Rescinding the delegation to OCR does not lessen the commitment of the Department to compliance, but ensures that it is not misused by any one agency to enact a broad, proactive agenda.

After former Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued guidelines on various religious liberty issues, HHS gave OCR authority for RFRA compliance reviews and to “initiate such other actions as may be necessary to facilitate and ensure compliance with RFRA,” Fox News noted.

Pino’s memo also states, “While nothing in RFRA legally restricts an agency to work proactively to address a complainant’s (or ‘would be’ complainant’s) religious needs or rights, there is a serious concern that such an approach broadens the effect of RFRA in a way that may not be legally required and while causing significant detriment to civil rights and public health protections.” – READ MORE