Transcript Document

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Secular Coalition for America
Mission and Purpose
 Our mission is to increase the visibility and respect for
nontheistic viewpoints in the United States, and to protect
and strengthen the secular character of our government as
the best guarantee of freedom for all.
 Our purpose is to advocate on behalf of nontheistic and
secular Americans.
 The Secular Coalition for America was founded in 2002
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Who We Represent
 52.8% of Americans think political leaders should NOT
rely on religious beliefs when making decisions.
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Source: ABC News/Washington Post poll, April 2005 and the Association of Religion Data Archives
Who We Represent
 Americans with no religious affiliation, “Nones” represent
16.1% of all Americans
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SCA Organizational Structure
Board of Directors
One representative from each
member organization
Advisory
Board
Board Officers
Non-voting members of the
Board of Directors
Executive Director
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Endorsing
Organizations
SCA Staff
Allied
Organizations
and Coalitions
State Chapters
Secular Coalition for America
Member Organizations
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Secular Coalition for America
Endorsing Organizations
The following organization extend their support by endorsing the mission of the
Secular Coalition for America:
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Anti-Discrimination Support Network
Arizona Coalition of Reason (ArizonaCoR),
Association of Humanistic Rabbis
Ask an Atheist
Atheist Nexus
Brights Action SCA,
Center for Atheism,
Center for Naturalism
Congress of Secular Jewish Organizations,
EARTHWARD
Foundation Beyond Belief
Freethought Action
Hispanic American Freethinkers
Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard,
Humanist Institute
Humanist Society
Humanists of Florida
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TheInfidels.org
Internet Infidels
LGBT Humanist Council of AHA
Mission of Reason,
Mr. Deity
National Atheist Party
OABITAR
Path of Reason
Project Reason
Rational Response Squad
The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science
Secular Nations,
South Carolina Progressive Network
Stiefel Freethought Foundation
Unitarian Universalist Infidels
United Coalition of Reason
Washington Area Secular Humanists (WASH)
Secular Coalition for America
Allies
 The Secular Coalition for America is building the coalition by
adding Allied Organizations who may not be able to support the
entire mission of the SCA, but share our position on particular
issues.
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SCA Coalitions
 CARD - Coalition Against Religious Discrimination
 NCPE - National Coalition for Public Education
 SIECUS - Sexual Inform and Education Council of the
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United States
National Advisory Board
IFPC - International Family Planning Coalition
LCCR - Leadership Council on Civil and Human Rights
Coalition for Liberty and Justice
Subject Areas of our Key Issues
 Heath & Safety
 Education
 Military
 Tax Policy
 Discrimination
 Government Actions
 International
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Health & Safety Issues
 Medical Professionals Denying Care Based on Personal Beliefs
 Religious Employers Denying Healthcare Coverage Based on
Personal Beliefs
 Religiously Based Child Abuse and Neglect
 Religiously Based Substance Abuse Treatment
 Religiously Based Healthcare Policy
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Education
 Public Funding of Religious
Schools
 Schools Discriminate Against
Nontheistic Students
 Religious Influence on Public
School Curriculum
 Religious Coercion of Public
School Students
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Military
 Military Chaplains Do Not Equally Represent or
Support All Service Members
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Military
 Military Promotion of Religion
 Military Discrimination Against Nontheists
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Tax Policy
 Tax Free Housing for Clergy
 Faith-Based Nonprofits Exempt from Nonprofit Requirements
Source: How Secular Humanists (and Everyone Else) Subsidize Religion in the United States; Ryan Cragun,
Stephanie Yeager, and Desmond Vega; Free Inquiry Magazine, May 2012
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Discrimination
 Religiously Motivated Employment Discrimination
 Housing Discrimination by Religious Landlords
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Government Actions
 National Ceremonies and Symbols Endorsing Religion
 Government Officials Endorsing Religion
 Religious Definition of Civil Marriage
 Taxpayer Money Furthering Religious Beliefs
 Religiously Based Policy
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International
 Religiously Based
International Policy
 U.S. Aid to Countries That
Limit Religious Freedom
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Aggressive Implementation of our
Strategic Plan - Legislative Activity
 National Secular Movement Weekly Update Call
 Every Thursday at Noon
 559-726-1300 Code: 199568
 Legislative and Regulatory Call
 Every other Tuesday
 Will track and discuss all problematic proposed legislation and
regulatory issues
 Featuring a government policy decisions maker
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Hill Briefings
Federal Legislative and Regulatory Tracking
State Legislative and Regulatory Tracking
Liaisons in Both Republican and Democratic Campaigns
 Presidential, gubernatorial and congressional
 Attending Republican and Democratic Conventions
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State Legislature Control By Party
Source: National Council of State Legislatures, Feb. 2011
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State Legislatures and Governors
Source: National Council of State Legislatures, Feb. 2011
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Current Electoral Vote Prediction
Source: Washington Post - May 17, 2012
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Senate Race Breakdown
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Source: Cook Political Report, May 2012
Democratic Senate Toss-Ups
 Open Seats:
 HI (Akaka)
 NM (Bingaman)
 ND (Conrad)
 VA (Webb)
 WI (Kohl)
 Incumbents:
 MO (McCaskill)
 MT (Tester)
Source: Cook Political Report, May 2012
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Republican Senate Toss-Ups
 Open Seat:
 ME (Snowe)
 Incumbents:
 MA (Brown)
 NV (Heller)
Source: Cook Political Report, May 2012
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Overall U.S. House Breakdown
 All 435 seats are up for re-election.
 Democrats currently have 23 seats listed as Lean or Toss Up.
 Republicans currently have 32 seats listed as Lean or Toss Up.
 Republicans control the House by a 49 seat majority.
 Democrats would need to have a net gain 25 seats to reclaim
the majority.
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Aggressive Implementation of our
Strategic Plan - Research and Outreach
 National Policy Conference and Lobby Day
 Conference presents speakers who are major decision makers
 Lobby Day educates a large number of secularists in lobbying
techniques and sends them to the hill for meetings with congressional
offices
 National Secular Calendar
 Presidential and Congressional Scorecards
 Pulling together policy and research resources
 Tracking of Major Court Cases
 Guidebook on principles of secularism for elected officials
 Educating about our issues through educational videos and
webinars on our website
 State Chapters
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State Chapters
 Some of the most egregious violations of church state
separation are being promoted and passed at the state level,
and we absolutely must act to stop it!
 A Secular Coalition for America state chapter is unlike any
other nontheistic state organization—it brings together
interested organizations and individuals for the exclusive
purpose of lobbying government officials.
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State Chapters Calls
 We are holding initial organizing conference calls to initiate the
development
 The initial organizing call for New York will be in mid-July
 On the call we will be discussing
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the mission, purpose, and goals of the SCA chapters
the resources SCA can provide to SCA Chapters
the secular lobbying needs of New York, and
the organizational structure of the chapters, including leadership
positions.
 The exact date, time, and further details about how you can
participate will be posted on our website and emailed out through
state organizations
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State Chapters
Phase
Current
Phase
Four:
Five:
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Two:
affiliates
Starting
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Starting
the
the
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Starting
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Scary State Laws
 6 states have laws that allow pharmacists to refuse to fill an
emergency prescription for contraceptives.
 21 states offer exemptions from contraceptive coverage for
employers with varying degrees of religious affiliation
 44 states have laws that require public school classes to recite
a Pledge of Allegiance stating we are a nation “under God”
 Only 18 states require sex education curricula to be
medically accurate
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Recently Passed Scary State Laws
 Kansas - “Health Care Rights of Conscience Act” signed into
law in April allows pharmacists to refuse to dispense drugs
they believe might cause an abortion
 Virginia - SB 131, which was signed into law by the
Governor on April 9, 2012, establishes a tax credit for
corporations that make donations for scholarships to
religious schools.
 Tennessee - SB 893/HB 368 states, under the pretext of
fostering critical thinking, that teachers must be allowed to
discuss “weaknesses” in scientific theories such as evolution
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Scary State Examples
 Florida’s Amendment 8- To remove from the Florida
Constitution the language that prohibits government funding
of religion.
 Missouri HB 2051- “prohibits the discussion of sexual
orientation in public school instruction, material, or
extracurricular activity except in scientific instruction on
human reproduction.”
 Similar bills in Tennessee and Utah
 Michigan HB 5560- increases fines for the criminal
disruption of the private property or entrance to private
property being used for religious service
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Informational Resources
 National Secular
Movement Update Call
 Every Thursday at Noon
 559-726-1300 Code: 199568
Facebook.com/SecularCoalition
 National Secular Calendar
 Blog
 Facebook
 Twitter
 Action Alerts
 Website
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@SecularDotOrg
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Speaker Information
Edwina Rogers
Executive Director
Secular Coalition for America
1012 14th St., NW, Suite 205
Washington, DC 20005
Office (202) 299 1091 ext. 207
Mobile (202) 674 7800
[email protected]
www.secular.org
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