Furthermore, this Act would put over 2,000 religious denominations in competition for any federally funded public health or social service contract. This provision, along with those that grant religious institutions the discretion to dole out subcontracts, would create a political battleground wherein sects fight to corner the market on a particular service to ensure that their own get a share of the pie. That s a real danger all non profits face - just sitting back and figuring the government will take care of you. Not only do religious institutions lose motivation to tap private donor pools, but donors also perceive less reason to give because expectations would shift as public funding increased. Finally, this Act would encroach upon the religious liberties of program beneficiaries, individual service providers, and taxpayers because it would allow religious organizations to deliver services in accordance with its religious tenets and practices.
Religion is a very personal belief system varying from individual to individual.
Accordingly, beneficiaries would often have beliefs antithetical to that of the assigned service provider. From their perspective, then, they would be exposed to other religious beliefs that they found offensive or be forced to endure the denigration of their own religious beliefs. This result contradicts the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, which mandates that beneficiaries should not be subjected to state-sponsored indoctrination. Furthermore, beneficiaries cannot be discouraged from exercising their own religious beliefs, which are protected by the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment. From the religious institution s perspective, however, their rights to express religious beliefs may endanger the effectiveness of its programs, especially in a group setting.