Bishop Estévez Urges Catholics to Take Action on Equality Act
February 26, 2021 • Diocese of St. Augustine

The U.S. House passes Equality Act in a 224-206 vote

The House of Representatives passed the Equality Act in a 224-206 vote on Feb. 25. A couple of days ahead of the vote, the chairmen of five U.S. bishops’ committees said its mandates will “discriminate against people of faith” by adversely affecting charities and their beneficiaries, conscience rights, women’s sports, “and sex-specific facilities.”

Bishop Felipe Estévez has joined his brother bishops in urging Catholics to take action now by telling their elected officials in the Senate to vote against the Equality Act.

The bill, known as H.R. 5 and recently reintroduced in the House, also will provide for taxpayer funding of abortion and limit freedom of speech, the chairmen said in a Feb. 23 letter to all members of Congress. H.R. 5 amends the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit and jury duty.

“Human dignity is central to what Catholics believe,” they said, and the church serves “all people, without regard to race, religion or any other characteristic. Rather than affirm human dignity in ways that meaningfully exceed existing practical protections, the Equality Act would discriminate against people of faith,” they said. “It would also inflict numerous legal and social harms on Americans of any faith or none.”

To read the full letter from the USCCB, click here.

Take Action Now – Everyone deserves to be treated with respect and dignity. The Equality Act, in many ways, does the opposite and needs to be opposed. Tell your elected officials in the Senate to oppose it.

More information and resources related to the USCCB’s stance on the Equality Act may be found at https://www.usccb.org/equality-act.