House Republicans Again Demand That Religion Be an Excuse to Discriminate

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) and 25 other Republicans in the U.S. House introduced a bill yesterday to give legal protection to pharmacists who refuse to fill prescriptions to which they have a personal objection. It is of course designed to deny service to women seeking contraceptives, medication abortion, and other necessary reproductive health care medicines.

It’s yet another example of an extremist view that empowers some to use religion as an excuse to discriminate. It’s gross. It’s an example of the kind of legislation that Republicans will pass if they win back control of Congress in November and a reminder of why we’re going to fight like hell to make sure they don’t.

Access to reproductive health care is essential to health, autonomy, and economic security. And denial of care isn’t an act of faith—it’s an act of violence. Government needs to stand with the people seeking care, not their abusers.