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Editor’s Note: The following news story was published by The Christian Post on November 8, 2023, and is authored by Ryan Foley, Christian Post reporter.
A new report reveals that Illinois has the most religious liberty safeguards in place as many states continue to lack adequate protections for religious people.
The Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy at First Liberty Institute released its second annual Religious Liberty in the States report last week. The report ranked all 50 states by the number of safeguards in place for religious liberty. While Mississippi scored highest last year, Illinois received the highest score this year.
Illinois’ 85% score marks an increase from the 81% it received last year. Mississippi, which received a score of 82% last year, now ranks fourth in religious liberty protections as it achieves a score of 64%. California, which came in last in 2022, now ranks fifth from the bottom while West Virginia descended to the bottom spot this year.
Safeguards that determined a state’s score include the availability of absentee voting for religious reasons and/or no-excuse absentee voting, the ability of healthcare providers to opt out of performing abortions or sterilizations and prescribing contraception if doing so violates their religious beliefs, and the presence of a Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the state.
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For the most part, the safeguards measured in this year’s report mirror those from last year. However, there are a few changes. In addition to exemptions from childhood immunization requirements, the scores assigned to states this year take into account whether students can receive excused absences for religious observance and religious instruction.
This year’s report lists Illinois, Washington, Florida, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Wisconsin and Oregon as having the most protections in place for school-aged children. On the other hand, Mississippi and West Virginia do not have any religious liberty safeguards for school-age children.
Another set of additional safeguards included in this year’s report deal with religious and ceremonial life. The presence of exceptions for clergy members from laws mandating the reporting of suspected child abuse or neglect and laws allowing minors to consume alcohol for religious purposes are factors taken into consideration when ranking the states.
Read the entire story in The Christian Post here.