M E M O R A N D U M
TO: Reporters and Editors
RE: Senate vote on the Blunt amendment
DA: Thursday, March 1, 2012
Senator Grassley made the following comment about his vote today in support of the Blunt amendment. Senator Grassley is a co-sponsor of the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act.
“The Blunt amendment responds to a decision by the Obama Administration to disregard the freedom of conscience supported by the First Amendment. The new federal rule in question, even as altered, is an affront to religious freedom, and the issue is whether religious-affiliated institutions will be able to practice their faith without government intrusion. The amendment reaffirms the conviction articulated by Thomas Jefferson in 1809, when he told New London Methodists that ‘[n]o provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience against the enterprises of the civil authority.’ The principle is part of our nation’s tradition and has been codified in state and federal laws, including previous health care laws. The Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion, and this amendment is a necessary response to a new federal rule that undermines that freedom.”