With the Trump administration slated to take office in a little over two months, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention is encouraging President-elect Donald Trump to reverse several policies the outgoing Biden administration implemented.
ERLC President Brent Leatherwood, who leads the public policy arm of the country’s largest Protestant denomination, sent a letter to Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon of the Trump transition team Monday.
The correspondence highlights “five critical policy actions that reflect deeply held values for Southern Baptists and warrant the incoming administration’s immediate attention during President Trump’s first 100 days in office.”
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Issue executive order vowing to enforce the Hyde Amendment
The first priority Leatherwood lists is for the administration to “Reaffirm continued support for and fully enforce the Hyde Amendment across government agencies.”
The Hyde Amendment is a longstanding rider attached to government funding bills that prevents the use of federal tax dollars to pay for abortions. Leatherwood stressed that an executive order reaffirming the Hyde Amendment “should explicitly direct federal agencies to stop the funding of abortion-related travel and counseling for abortions through immediately ceasing such policies and implementing rulemaking as necessary.”
“By issuing an executive order committing to full enforcement of the Hyde Amendment, President Trump will usher in a renewed focus on protecting life and the deeply-held religious beliefs of taxpayers from government overreach,” Leatherwood wrote.
Reimplement ‘Mexico City Policy’
Leatherwood asked Trump to “Reimplement the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy and similar Title X pro-life domestic policies.” Formerly known as the Mexico City Policy, the Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance policy prohibited the use of taxpayer dollars to pay for abortions overseas.
Trump implemented the Mexico City Policy early in his first term, but President Joe Biden rescinded it upon taking office four years later.
Repeal Biden’s order on sexual orientation and gender identity
The third policy action Leatherwood requested that Trump pursue involves revoking Biden’s Executive Order 13988, which is aimed at “Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation.”
“This executive order by the Biden administration redefines ‘sex-based discrimination’ to include sexual orientation and gender identity while directing all federal agencies to implement this new definition through rulemaking,” Leatherwood wrote.
“Such rulemaking was specifically crafted to circumvent the religious beliefs and conscience protections of millions of Americans regarding gender and sexuality, misuse taxpayer funds for ‘gender transitions,’ and promote radical gender ideology, even amongst children. By undoing this harmful executive order, President Trump will reassure millions of Americans that they will not be targeted by the federal government simply for believing in biological realities or holding to their religious convictions.”
Undue rulemaking advanced by the Biden administration
Leatherwood called on Trump to “undo the anti-life, anti-religious liberty, and pro-gender ideology rulemaking advanced by the Biden administration.”
Leatherwood singled out three rules in particular.
The first is a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule that the ERLC warned would require faith-based hospitals to perform gender transition surgeries, which has faced legal challenges.
Another is a Department of Education rule that the ERLC asserts would require schools that receive federal funding to allow trans-identified male athletes to compete on women’s sports teams.
Leatherwood also called out another HHS ruleviewed by the ERLC as requiring prospective foster parents to affirm trans-identified children’s stated gender identities.
Repeal FDA’s relaxing of abortion pill requirements
In his final request, Leatherwood asked Trump to “Reverse the Biden [Food and Drug Administration’s] changes to the risk evaluation management strategy (REMS) requirements for mifepristone that expanded the reach of the abortion pill and threaten the health and safety of women.”
He noted that the Biden administration took action to “allow prescription of the drug through telehealth without ever seeing a doctor in-person and to allow dispensing of the drug at local pharmacies.”
Throughout his second presidential bid, Trump has expressed support for allowing women to have access to the abortion pill and indicated that he would not enforce a law banning the distribution of the drug by mail while taking a much more conservative stance on certain LGBT issues.
The campaign has vowed to “stop the chemical, physical, and emotional mutilation of our youth” by asking “Congress to permanently stop federal taxpayer dollars from being used to promote or pay for these procedures,” referring to gender transition procedures.
Trump is also seeking to “declare that any hospital or healthcare provider participating in the chemical or physical mutilation of minor youth will no longer meet federal health and safety standards for Medicaid and Medicare — and will be terminated from the program.” He plans to ask Congress to declare that Title IX civil rights law, which requires equal opportunity for women and girls in education, prohibits the participation of trans-identified male athletes in women’s sports.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
