Sarasota Joins 2nd Coast-to-Coast Rally For Religious Freedom, Friday, June 8

PRLog (Press Release) - Jun. 5, 2012 - Sarasota, FL — On Friday, June 8, as the United States Supreme Court prepares to issue its ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, concerned citizens of Sarasota, FL will take to the streets to voice peaceful public opposition to the federal government’s Health and Human Services Mandate. The HHS Mandate forces all employers—including religious schools and hospitals—to provide free contraceptives, surgical sterilizations and abortion-inducing drugs through their health plans, regardless of religious or moral convictions.

The Sarasota Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally will begin at 12 noon at the Sarasota Bayfront, at the corner of Bayfront Drive and Gulfstream Avenue, joining over 150 other cities and towns from Maine to Hawaii that are participating in this national event. A complete list of rally sites and other details are available at StandUpRally.com.

The June 8 Stand Up Rally builds on the tremendous momentum created by the first Stand Up Rally held on March 23, with over 63,000 citizens of all faiths attending local rallies in 145 cities. With the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Healthcare Act coming and the November elections in sight, the June 8 Stand Up Rally is expected to draw even larger crowds.

The Sarasota Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally has been organized by Johnny Jackson, president of the newly formed organization “Stand Up Sarasota”. Guest speakers will include community and religious leaders of several faiths.

·     What: Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally
·     When: Friday, June 8, 12 noon to 1 p.m.
·     Where: Sarasota Bayfront, at the corner of Bayfront Drive and Gulfstream Avenue
·     Who: Thousands of local citizens peacefully defending the right to religious freedom

The date for the Stand Up Rally was chosen to highlight the HHS Mandate’s unconstitutional infringement of religious freedom, coming just weeks before the highly anticipated Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Healthcare Act, expected at the end of June.

“If the Affordable Healthcare Act is ruled unconstitutional, we need to ensure that religious freedom will be protected in any future health care legislation” explained Johnny Jackson. “But if the Affordable Healthcare Act is not struck down, Friday’s rally will send the federal government a clear message that the faith-based institutions and private businesses affected by the HHS Mandate here in Sarasota will not violate their consciences by complying with it.”

Jackson emphasized that the Stand Up Rally has nothing to do with access to contraception. “We are not holding the rally to protest access to contraception. Contraception is widely available. We are holding a rally in Sarasota because, for the first time in the history of America, religious freedom is openly under attack by the federal government and we believe that people of all faiths should stand up to defend religious liberty.”

The June 8 Rally coincides with the 223rd anniversary of the day James Madison introduced the Bill of Rights to the 1st Congress, including what would become the First Amendment. “We’re standing up for the First Amendment and demanding that our federal government continues to abide by it and respect the religious freedom of all people,” Jackson explained.

For more information please contact: Johnny Jackson, Stand Up Sarasota, (941) 284-4200, Rally@StandUpSarasota.com.

See also StandUpSarasota.com