CONGRESS-TRADE-RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
Senate adds religious freedom to trade bill objectives
WASHINGTON (AP) β The Senate has voted unanimously to require U.S. negotiators to take religious freedom into account in any country taking part in trade talks.
The amendment sponsored by Sen. Jim Lankford was added Monday to objectives outlined in major trade legislation sought by President Barack Obama. The Oklahoma Republican said the United States should “lead with our values and not sell out for a dollar the people who have been in bondage as a prisoner of conscience for years.”
The trade bill sets parameters under which the administration could negotiate trade deals that Congress could then approve or reject, but not change. Obama is seeking the “fast-track” authority to complete a Trans-Pacific trade deal with 11 other countries along the Pacific rim.
Lankford’s office says if the trade bill becomes law, it would be the first time that religious freedom considerations are a requisite for trade talks with other countries.
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210-a-04-(Senator James Lankford, R-Okla., in floor debate)-“live their faith”-Oklahoma Senator James Lankford says freedom of religion is not just an American right, but a universal value. (19 May 2015)
< 207-w-32-(Steve Coleman, AP religion editor, with Senator James Lankford, R-Okla.)–The Senate has voted unanimously to require U.S. negotiators to take religious freedom into account in any country taking part in trade talks. AP Religion Editor Steve Coleman reports. (19 May 2015) < 208-a-12-(Senator James Lankford, R-Okla., in floor debate)-“their own border”-Oklahoma Senator James Lankford says trade talks with other nations should take into consideration the religious freedom their citizens are allowed. ((cut used in wrap)) (19 May 2015) < 209-a-11-(Senator James Lankford, R-Okla., in floor debate)-“conscience for years”-Oklahoma Senator James Lankford says trade talks should include consideration of a country’s religious freedom. (19 May 2015) < RELIGIOUS OBJECTIONS-LOUISIANA Religious objections bill rejected by La. House committee BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) β Louisiana lawmakers have shelved a religious objections bill pushed by Gov. 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State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke voiced deep concern Tuesday over the legislation. He said it could provide a legal basis for discrimination through coercive and uneven application of birth control policies. Human Rights Watch says the bill directs authorities to impose a 36-month interval between each child and could allow forced contraception. The bill is the first of four government-backed bills to “protect race and religion.” Human Rights Watch says the legislation has been championed by activists with a racist and anti-Muslim agenda. Rathke said women who have spoken out against the bills faced sexual harassment and death threats. Myanmar is facing international criticism for its treatment of Rohingya Muslims who have been fleeing by boat from the predominantly Buddhist country, causing a refugee crisis in Southeast Asia. MUSLIM ASSAULT-PLEA Tennessee man pleads guilty to plotting assault on Muslims NASHVILLE, Tenn. 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