Republican Senator James Lankford draws every day from his deep belief in his role as Oklahoma’s top senator.
“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,” he told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview last week.
“Faith is not the freedom of worship. You have the freedom to worship as you please. It is freedom of religion. It is the freedom to have a belief and live that belief. And that has been dear to my heart,” he explained.
Lankford served in a religious ministry for 22 years before entering the political world. He said those years gave him a unique perspective on the fundamental right of individuals to choose their own faith, which has been the “core” of who he has been throughout his life.
“It is very important to me to protect the rights of a Christian, a Muslim, a Jew, a Sikh, an atheist, whatever it may be, to have their own personal expression of their faith.”
The senator said that “basic right” has unfortunately been challenged under the Biden administration.
Lankford served in a religious ministry for 22 years before entering the political world
Reflecting on the year since the Dobbs decision, which reversed the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case and brought the issue back to the state level, the senator told DailyMail.com the issue won’t go away any time soon
He cited a few examples, including holding cconscious protection for medical providers for those who say performing abortions goes against their personal belief systems.
Lankford referred to a case that occurred in the “early days of the Biden administration,” in which a nurse at a Vermont hospital was forced against her consciousness to participate in an abortion procedure.
“They literally trampled on her rights of conscience,” and the Biden administration did not take up the case to uphold its First Amendment-protected objections.
He says it has a “chilling effect on religious entities” and also gives employers the opportunity to violate the conscience of their individuals.
“This particular government is not going to protect the religious freedom of conscience that is already enshrined in law,” Lanford charged.
Reflecting on the year since the Dobbs decision, which reversed the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion case and brought the issue back to the state level, the senator told DailyMail.com the issue is not going away any time soon.
Protecting life is a top priority for him, at all stages.
The senator told DailyMail.com that, as with the 2022 midterm elections, abortion will be central to the 2024 presidential election.
However, he said, “It’s not just an election issue. It’s a matter of our culture. Do we value every child? Do we think that some children are valuable and some children are disposable? Or do we value all children?’
Lankford says he believes all children are valuable and not “throwaway things” that can be thrown away.
With about half of the states enacting some abortion restrictions, while the other half have increased abortion access or done nothing, Lankford says the focus needs to shift to the national level.
He personally believes that all life begins at conception and that there should be a more normalized dialogue on this issue.
“If other people want to have other ideas about that, let’s throw them out there. Let’s talk about it nationally.’
“But let’s not ignore this and say this is an inconvenience,” Lankford continued. “I mean, convenience, or frankly, kids are always an inconvenience at any age of their lives. There is always an discomfort with a child. So this is not about convenience. This is about how much we value each individual’s life.”
Lankford personally believes that all life begins at conception and there should be a more normalized dialogue on this issue
Lankford says he believes all children are valuable and not “throwaway things” that can be thrown away
As for the other topics he wants to focus on this conference, economic and fiscal issues are at the top of the list, including the R&D tax credit that expires at the end of the year.
He calls the credit that gives companies financial incentives for development and innovation ‘very important for growth’.
A big part of empowering businesses is bringing them back to America, the senator added — which the Biden administration is not currently doing, he charged.
In addition, he said the government should encourage more financial donations to non-profit organizations.
“Many of these nonprofits are very important to us and provide individuals with the opportunity to give and be able to deduct taxes.”
Lankford, who sits on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, says energy policy and border security are also critical to national security.