The U.S. Senate has confirmed the appointment of partial-birth abortion supporter Rabbi David Saperstein to be the ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom for the United States.
Saperstein, the first non-Christian to hold the position, was nominated in July and approved by the Senate earlier this month. He fills a slot that has been vacant for more than a year, in part because of pro-life opposition to his nomination.
Many senators objected to Saperstein's record on domestic religious liberty, which included support for the contraceptive/abortifacient mandate the Supreme Court found unconstitutional earlier this year.
Saperstein has said that “all women must have the right to make their own health-care choices according to their faith and consciences — including when it comes to reproductive health.”
The Supreme Court's decision held that closely-held corporations whose owners oppose the abortifacient component of the mandate on religious grounds were exempt from the regulation. Women are still able to get abortifacients and contraceptives from Planned Parenthood centers, health clinics, and many other locations — often through government-funded sources.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, opposed Saperstein's nomination in part because of the rabbi's support for the Obama administration's mandate. He told National Catholic Register, “I don’t agree with his philosophy, especially how he opposed the Green family from Oklahoma.”
Only one Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, opposed Saperstein. Potential 2016 GOP presidential candidates Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Ted Cruz of Texas supported Saperstein.
The press staff for Cruz and Paul did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Saperstein did support the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which was the basis for the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision. However, he opposed the partial-birth abortion ban in 2002, and has served on the board for liberal groups such as People for the American Way and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
He also supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would prevent employers with religious opposition to same-sex relationships from applying those beliefs in the workplace.
While his domestic record has been called into question, international human rights advocate Tina Ramirez, founder and president of Hardwired, Inc., argued that it was Saperstein's foreign record that most mattered to whomever holds the ambassador position.
Saperstein's international background includes traveling to meet with religious minority leaders in Saudi Arabia, as the head of the United States Commission on International Freedom, and meeting domestically and internationally with religious minority leaders from multiple nations and religions. He worked on the Religion and Foreign Policy working group from 2011 to July 2014 as part of an effort to expand dialogue under former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“Rabbi Saperstein’s historic support for the international standard of religious freedom for all people should continue to serve as a good indicator of how he’ll do in this new position,” Ramirez said.
“Religious freedom is a life and death issue for two-thirds of the world,” she continued. “Despite any differences we may have on domestic issues, defending people against threats like the Islamic State in Iraq and Boko Haram in Nigeria requires solidarity and continued vigilance.”
Saperstein's radical support for abortion has not prevented him from receiving numerous accolades for his work to promote international religious liberty. He has previously chaired the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, and in 2009, his influence in Washington put him on the top of Newsweek's list of the 50 most influential rabbis.
