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Senator James Lankford, Oklahoma’s senior senator, makes religious liberty a pillar of his political agenda, claiming the White House’s failure to enforce basic protections in this area.
The senator made the comments in an interview published Tuesday with the Daily Mail.
“My passion for religious freedom really stems from my personal belief, that I have the ability to live my faith, practice my faith and speak about my faith,” Lankford told the outlet.
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Oklahoma Senator James Lankford (Lankford Press Service)
Lankford, a Republican, was a Christian minister for 22 years before taking office. He says that freedom of religion is much broader than just the freedom to worship.
“Faith is not the freedom of worship. You have the freedom to worship as you please,” Lankford said. “It’s the freedom of religion. It’s the freedom to have a belief and live that belief. And that’s been dear to my heart.”
The senator further claimed that President Biden’s administration has given up even basic legal protections for religious beliefs.
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President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris walk to the Oval Office after an event in the White House rose garden in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
“This particular government is not going to protect the religious freedom of conscience that is already in law,” Lankford said.
In particular, he drew attention to a lawsuit in which the University of Vermont Medical Center scheduled a nurse to assist with an elective abortion despite her objections to the procedure. The Biden administration declined to act on the matter.
“They literally trampled on her rights of conscience,” Lankford told the Daily Mail.
Senator James Lankford speaks at a Senate Finance Committee hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Reuters)
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Lankford also reaffirmed his belief that abortion will be one of the most prominent issues in the 2024 presidential election.
“It’s not just an election issue. It’s a culture issue. Do we value… every child?” the senator asked. “Do we think that some children are valuable and some children are disposable? Or do we think that all children are valuable?”
Timothy Nerozzi is a writer for Fox News Digital. You can follow him on Twitter @timothynerozzi and email him at timothy.nerozzi@fox.com
