- Welcome back.

Religious freedom under fire in New York.

Governor Andrew Cuomorecently signed legislation

that forces pro-lifecrisis pregnancy centers

and religious advocacy groups

to hire workers whoactively support abortion.

On this week's episode of The Global Lane

Denise Harle of TheAlliance Defending Freedom

says government hostility toward pro-life

and religious groups isgrowing in that state.

Take a look.

- So, Denise, we saw peoplecheer with shouts of joy

when Governor Cuomosigned a bill last year

allowing abortion in New YorkState right up until birth.

Remember that one?

Well, now this.

Please explain what the new law means

for pro-life and religious groups.

- That's right, this isthe third in a series

of very pro-abortion laws that New York

has passed this year.

This one just comes down to the fact

that all Americans arefree to live and work

according to their beliefs,

but what New York has done is decided

that the state governmentis going to force

faith-based and religious organizations

to hire people that disagreewith their pro-life views,

and that's unconstitutional.

- Well, it seems thatthis is really advocacy

on the part of the state of New York,

so pro-life and religious groups were

not exempted from this law.

Why weren't they exempted?

- Because that's whoNew York was targeting.

New York is demeaningreligious organizations,

churches, and pro-life groups,

and essentially sayingthat your good faith

difference of opinionhas no business here,

and so what they'retrying to do is to punish

places like our clients,First Bible Baptist Church,

Encompass Care Pregnancy Center,

and forcing them to operate in a way

that's not consistent with their values

and their core mission.

These are charities and churches

that affirm life fromconception to natural death,

and under this law, theyare forced to employ people

who may advocate for abortion.

- Denise, it seems thisgoes beyond just a violation

of religious freedom andfreedom of speech and so forth.

It seems like discrimination.

Is this discrimination?

- This is absolutely hostilitytowards a religious viewpoint

and the Supreme Court has madeclear over and over again,

including last year inMasterpiece Cakeshop,

that the state government cannot

express hostility to certainreligious viewpoints.

The First Amendment protects against that,

and that sort ofdiscrimination has no place

in our free society.

- What are the ramifications, then,

for the rest of the country?

How likely might we see similarlegislation in other states?

- Well, we feel veryconfident that this law

is going to be struck down,

and that's what we'veasked the courts to do.

The First Amendment iscompletely clear that

a state cannot come in and

say what a church can say or not say,

or believe or not believe,

or who a church can associate with,

so we think this law is going to fail.

But unfortunately, states like New York

do try to sort of test the waters,

and float these sorts of ideas out there,

so we're hoping to nip it in the bud

and not to see this sort ofunconstitutional discrimination

towards pro-life viewpoints in a society

that needs places likepregnancy care centers

to serve and love women,and help to encourage them

to choose life for their babies.

- You said ADF is challengingthis law in court,

so tell us a little more about that.

Does that go to the StateSupreme Court in New York,

or the U.S. Supreme Court?

What's the next step?

- So we filed a lawsuitin Federal District Court,

and we have also filed for a

preliminary injunction, which means

we've asked the court toimmediately stop the law,

because on its face itviolates the First Amendment

in at least three ways.

It violates what theseorganizations can say and not say,

because it prevents them from even having

a moral code of conductfor their organization

and for their employees.

It violates their freeexercise of religion

because it prevents themfrom living out their beliefs

by forcing them to essentially endorse

and associate with beliefsthey don't believe in,

and three, it violatestheir free association

under the First Amendment because it says

who they can and can't hire and employ,

so those are the groundsfor our complaint,

and we're hoping for afairly swift resolution

in the Federal District Court.

- Okay, Denise Harle,please keep us posted

on how this progresses.

You're with The AllianceDefending Freedom.

Thank you so much for those insights.

- We will, thanks Gary.

- Watch for Denise Harle,and hear a conversation

involving the questionwas Jesus a Palestinian?

Gary Lane talks to Islamanalyst Robert Spencer,

who shares his thoughts about that

and his new book, ThePalestinian Delusion.

That's on The Global Lanetonight at 9:30 Eastern

only on the CBN News Channel.