FFRF Action Fund, the legislative arm of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, is excited to announce the addition of two significant bills to our Dynamic Scorecard.
The Stop Comstock Act has been introduced by Congressional Freethought Caucus Member Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt.. This bill aims to repeal the antiquated Comstock Act of 1873, characterized as a “150-year-old zombie law,” which anti-abortionists in and out of government are insisting has gone back into effect following the repeal of Roe v. Wade. If enforced, the wide-ranging Comstock Act barring distribution of reproductive rights information and devices through the mail or other shipping carriers, could not only effectively ban medication abortion but also shutter abortion clinics. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have both seemingly indicated that they believe the Comstock Act is still good law. The repeal of the Comstock Act is likewise crucial in the fight against Project 2025, which proposes to ban mifepristone. The bill takes an imperative stand against efforts that could institute a national abortion ban under a hostile administration and Congress.
Reintroduced by Congressional Freethought Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., the Health Share Transparency Act bill seeks to protect consumers from the misleading practices of health care sharing ministries. The Affordable Care Act permits Americans to opt out of the act and instead buy into typically these cheaper entities that masquerade as medical insurance but are not. The Health Share Transparency Act mandates clear and honest disclosures from health care sharing ministries about what is and isn’t covered — safeguarding consumers from potentially dangerous gaps in coverage. This bill is a significant step toward ensuring that all Americans have access to reliable and transparent health care options, free from religious interference and religious tests.
The Dynamic Scorecard previously rated U.S. representatives on their sponsorship of the Do No Harm Act, Women’s Health Protection Act, and Supreme Court Ethics Recusal and Transparency Act. Each of the bills, with the addition of the Comstock Act and the Health Share Transparency Act, now constitute 12 percent of the overall score, reinforcing FFRF Action Fund’s message to keep federal policy in line with the constitutional principle of separation between state and church.
Those receiving 100 percent scores on the updated scorecard are:
- Congressional Freethought Co-Chairs, Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Jared Huffman
- D-Calif.
- Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill.
- Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla.
- Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C.
- Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis.
- Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.
- Rep. Rashida Talib, D-Mich.
The FFRF Action Fund’s Dynamic Scorecard is designed to be a lobbying tool to help the Action Fund’s advocates and other Americans concerned to support secular governance determine which members in Congress are legislative champions. The goal of the Dynamic Scorecard is for FFRF AF advocates to not only be able to quickly evaluate who is good or bad on our issues, but also which members of Congress are making the separation of state and church a high priority. The higher the Scorecard number, the more the member of Congress prioritizes our issues. Adding these new bills will help to make that distinction even more vivid.
FFRF Action Fund is working with members of Congress to continually work to improve their scores, and encourage FFRF AF advocates to familiarize themselves with the scorecard so they can likewise encourage their representatives to stand up for the First Amendment and its clause barring government establishment of religion.
FFRF Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that develops and advocates for legislation, regulations and government programs to preserve the constitutional principle of separation between state and church. It also advocates for the rights and views of nonbelievers, endorses candidates for political office, and publicizes the views of elected officials concerning religious liberty issues.