FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 14, 2026
CONTACT: Kathy Dempsey, Consultant for Christ Medicus Foundation, 202-359-4379
CMF Offers Public Comment to the U.S. Religious Liberty Commission’s Draft Report
Historic Report – Let this be the Beginning of a Whole of Government Mission
Christ Medicus Foundation has offered a public comment to the Draft Report by the U.S. Religious Liberty Commission. And it is good.
We write in our public comment that “[t]he protection of religious freedom guarantees the freedom of all persons to love God and love their fellow citizens actively in civil society. Religious freedom is a basic human and civil right and one of three pillars, along with the right to life and right of conscience, that uphold human dignity in American civil society. … We urge the Commission, the federal executive branch, and Congress to make the report the first stage of a whole of government mission to restore religious freedom and human dignity in health care and American society.”
Executive Director of Christ Medicus Foundation Louis Brown Jr., J.D., said, “The Christ Medicus Foundation applauds the U.S. Religious Liberty Commission’s historic work and its Draft Report, inclusive of the 12 Recommendations to Strengthen Religious Liberty for All Americans. We urge the presidential Administration, the federal executive branch, Congress, states, political and faith leaders, religious organizations, and civic groups to use this report as a historic opportunity to defend religious freedom, advance religious exercise, and restore human dignity in health care and throughout civil society. By advancing religious liberty and the dignity of the human person, our country will come closer to fulfilling the promise of the American founding and achieving a civilization of love and justice in the United States.”
Michael Arthur Vacca, J.D., Director of Ministry, Bioethics, and Membership Experience for Christ Medicus Foundation said, “I commend the U.S. Religious Liberty Commission for taking seriously the threats to conscience and religious liberty in the United States. Since the Lord Himself shows the utmost respect for the human person by gratuitously creating us from sheer love and granting us the gift of freedom, we honor Him by respecting the freedom of the human person to act in accordance with his/her conscience and his/her sincerely held religious convictions.”
Following the Commission’s recommendations, CMF further encourages the presidential Administration, the federal executive branch, and Congress to enact in the near term:
1) White House: An Executive Order Promoting Religious Freedom in Health Care;
2) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: A multi-year HHS Religious Freedom Educational Initiative to advance religious exercise, religious freedom rights, and conscience rights in health care and to educate students studying in health care fields, health care workers, and health care entities about the religious liberty foundations of health care;
3) Congress: The Passage of the Conscience Protection Act;
4) HHS and U.S. Department of Education: A Multi-Year Joint HHS and Department of Education Parental Rights Campaign to educate parents, health care entities, and public education entities about constitutionally protected parental rights in health care;
5) Department of Education: The creation of Religious Freedom and Parental Rights Divisions, potentially within the Office of Civil Rights or within another pertinent office at the Department of Education, to enforce constitutionally protected religious freedom rights and parental rights in the public education system that dramatically impact the health and wellbeing of students nationwide.
CMF firmly supports the Draft Report’s recommendations. We seek to work with government, academics, policymakers and health care professionals to advance the protection of human dignity and religious exercise in our nation’s health care system.
The Christ Medicus Foundation shares Jesus Christ’s healing love in health and wellness. We advance religious freedom for medical professionals and patients. We promote Christ-centered pro-life medical care. We offer our CURO Catholic health and wellness program for the medical needs and whole-person wellness of individuals and families. Founded in 1997, the Christ Medicus Foundation works to accomplish its mission through promoting public policy and education, supporting Christ-centered pro-life medical centers, and providing our CURO Catholic Health and Wellness Program.
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