Fetal Heartbeat Laws Defy Science, Religion, and Law

The laws against abortion that include a “fetal heartbeat” provision defy science, religion, and the law. There is no fetal tissue, no heart, and no heartbeat at the early stages of pregnancy to which these laws apply. Women are being forced to carry pregnancies based on a scientific lie.

No religious or societal consensus exists on when life begins or whether abortion is an allowable health choice. Women are forced to carry pregnancies based on the beliefs of one religion. Basing a law solely on the beliefs of one religion violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, because it cements into law the belief of that one religion that is contrary to the beliefs of many other religions and nonreligious people. It also violates the Free Exercise clause of the Constitution because people of any other religion or none are prohibited from practicing their religion as they see fit.

Click here to read the rest of this article on Secular AZ’s Substack. 

Phoenix’s Washington Elementary School District folds to ADF lawsuit

A few weeks ago, we accomplished something big. We called on Phoenix’s Washington Elementary School District to end a teacher training contract with the discriminatory Arizona Christian University, over its policies of hate and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people.

Unfortunately, it seems high-powered lawyers from hate group Alliance Defending Freedom have pressured the school district into reversing the decision. Continue reading

6 Big Things to Know About the Future of Abortion Rights in Arizona

Today, June 24th, 2022, the United States Supreme Court has overruled nearly five decades of precedent, striking down the landmark Roe v. Wade which established the constitutional right to abortion. The horrifying decision comes in the wake of a Trump-installed court that is decidedly right-wing, underpinned by conservative political ideologies unrepresentative of the politics f the American majority. The consequences of this case are immense, including the future of the court and its legitimacy in the public eye, the legality of abortion in states, and future rulings on issues from gun restrictions to same-sex marriage.

On a webinar, Secular AZ Legal Director Dianne Post shared insights into what the overturn of Roe v. Wade means for the state of Arizona. Continue reading

Let the Flags of Intolerance Fly

Secular AZ Legal Director Dianne PostShurtleff v. City of Boston is the flag case recently decided by the “Supreme Court” (I put it in parenthesis because it’s no longer supreme or an impartial body as a court is required to be). The city has three poles: one for the American flag, one for the flag of Massachusetts, and one for the city flag. Often, the city pole was used by groups having events in the City Plaza, a “public forum.” The city had no rules about the flags and had never rejected an application for a group to fly its flag before — including a Pride flag and a cooperative bank – until a Christian group asked to fly a Christian flag. Continue reading