🌈 Sacred Health Rights & Religious Protection
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A Faith-Based Response to H.R. 8281 and Anti-Trans Laws
The newly passed H.R. 8281 – so-called “The Big Beautiful Bill” is a direct violation of our sacred religious rights. As a spiritual community, Universal Rainbow Faith (URF) rejects this legislation and the dozens of state laws that now criminalize or restrict gender-affirming care. We hold that bodily autonomy, gender identity, and gender expression are sacred aspects of the soul and therefore protected spiritual practices in our faith.
We especially condemn Iowa’s recent repeal of transgender civil rights, stripping basic protections in housing, employment, and healthcare from transgender people. We grieve and resist these actions, and we stand in unwavering faith that transgender, nonbinary, and LGBTQIA+ people are sacred beings deserving of full care and protection.
In response, we are publicly invoking our religious freedom as guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). These rights apply to every URF member—children, youth, adults, and families—no matter their location.
✝️ We declare:
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Our doctrine affirms medically necessary gender-affirming care as a religious right.
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We issue official letters of exemption and protection for our members and their providers.
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We will not comply with laws that deny sacred healthcare or spiritual expression.
This page includes our Sacred Health Rights Doctrine, legal documentation, and official clergy letters to be used in all states—especially where healthcare has been banned or criminalized.
Let it be known: We claim our religious freedom. Our health is sacred. Our truth is protected.
⛪ Precedents in Religious Freedom Protections
Evangelical Christian groups and other religious organizations have long used RFRA and the First Amendment to:
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Refuse to provide or cover medical procedures such as abortion or birth control
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Opt out of vaccine mandates based on religious grounds
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Deny services or employment to LGBTQIA+ individuals in the name of religious belief
Key Cases:
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Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. (2014): The Supreme Court ruled that a privately held corporation could refuse to provide contraception coverage under the ACA due to religious objections.
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Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission (2018): A Christian baker was permitted to refuse service to a same-sex couple based on his religious beliefs.
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Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania (2020): Upheld the right of a religious group to opt out of providing birth control coverage.
These cases demonstrate how religious freedom has been consistently upheld when asserted by conservative or Evangelical groups—even when used to deny care or discriminate.
URF’s Position:
At Universal Rainbow Faith, we invoke the same legal protections—but not to discriminate.
We use our faith to protect, affirm, and heal.
Where others have weaponized religion to exclude, we claim our sacred rights to include, to heal, and to empower our members with dignity, care, and truth.
We call on all legal institutions, hospitals, schools, and governments to honor our faith as equal to any other under U.S. law.
Let it be known: We stand for healing, not harm. We stand for truth, not fear. We stand for sacred health.