Donating to the ACLU has become an act of political defiance in the Trump era as the group has positioned itself as a high-profile and aggressive opponent of the president’s agenda. In 1993 the organization was among the broad cross-section of politicians and groups that supported the passage of the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In recent years, the ACLU has been a vociferous opponent of state laws attempting to pass religious freedom bills viewed as antigay. For religious conservatives, “the most plausible explanation would be a shift toward reproductive rights and away from religious freedom and free-speech concerns,” Inazu said. Charles Haynes, founding director of the Religious Freedom Centre at the Newseum Institute, said the ACLU has mostly remained true to its mission.

Source: National Post March 08, 2017 22:30 UTC