Full Breakdown
Religious-Right Activists Use Pray Vote Stand to Advance Anti-Abortion and Anti-Equality Agenda
By Drooid · · How we work
Conference Overview
The Family Research Council’s final Pray Vote Stand national activist conference gathered leading religious-right figures to outline a coordinated strategy for maintaining Republican control in the upcoming midterms while pushing policies that restrict abortion, reverse marriage-equality protections, and reshape the federal judiciary. Speakers framed the agenda as a response to perceived federal overreach, such as the Biden administration’s policy allowing the abortion medication mifepristone to be mailed to patients.
Key Figures
- Josh Hawley – U.S. senator from Missouri; speaker who urged a congressional ban on abortion medication.
- Erin Hawley – lawyer for the Alliance Defending Freedom, the group that helped overturn Roe v. Wade.
- Katy Faust – activist who launched the “Greater Than” coalition to overturn the 2015 marriage-equality ruling.
- Phillip Jauregui – founder of the Center for Judicial Renewal, promoting a “biblical worldview” test for federal judges.
- Jordan Lorence – attorney with the First Liberty Institute, praising recent Trump judicial appointments.
- Robert Spencer – director of Jihad Watch, panelist on alleged threats from Sharia law.
- Michele Bachmann – Regent University representative on the same panel.
- Shahram Hadian – former Muslim turned Christian pastor, warning against interfaith cooperation.
Policy Objectives Presented
- Abortion – Hawley called for a nationwide congressional ban on the abortion drug mifepristone and promoted a Missouri constitutional amendment to outlaw abortion entirely.
- Marriage Equality – Faust’s coalition seeks a legal strategy to enable the Supreme Court’s right-wing majority to overturn the 2015 decision, coupled with a media campaign portraying gay marriage as a threat to children and a push to ban surrogacy.
- Judicial Influence – Jauregui’s “red list” targets judges who fail a biblical-worldview test; Lorence celebrated Trump’s appointments, listing desired outcomes such as limiting gun regulation, expanding presidential power, and curbing transgender rights.
- Religious-Freedom Claims – Panelists argued that Islam is incompatible with the First Amendment, suggesting that public calls to prayer constitute a step toward “subjugation.”
Data & Statistics
- The report notes that about two-thirds of Americans still favor allowing same-sex couples to marry.
- Muslims represent about one percent of the U.S. population, according to the same source.
Official Statements & Responses
- Lorence described the current Supreme Court as “Christmas morning” for conservatives, warning that a loss of Senate Republican control would halt the confirmation of “good judges.”
- Jauregui told activists that his organization’s judicial-rating system is already influencing appointments.
- The Trump administration indicated it is conducting a safety review of mifepristone, suggesting a possible FDA withdrawal, though the review has not satisfied conference participants.
Verbatim Quotes
- “They need to go beyond that,” — Josh Hawley, senator — Josh Hawley, senator