Trump to sign executive order to 'protect and vigorously promote religious liberty'

While speculations on the executive order makes round, the administration has not yet released any official confirmation.

Update: 2017-05-04 10:32 GMT
President Donald Trump on Thursday reflected on his first 100 days in office with a wistful look at his life before the White House. (Photo: AP)

New York: In a blow to the LGBT community, and other discriminated communities, the Trump administration is expected to sign an executive order on religious liberty that provides legal protections for people claiming religious exemptions, on Thursday.

Even as the office declined to reveal the details of the executive order, the copy leaked to The Nation provided legal protections for people to claim religious exemptions, provisions that civil liberties groups claimed would allow for discrimination against LGBT American, women seeking abortions, and even pre-marital intercourse.

The Nation reported that the draft order seeks to create wholesale exemptions for people and organisations who claim religious or moral objections to same-sex marriage, premarital sex, abortion, and trans identity, and it seeks to curtail women's access to contraception and abortion through the Affordable Care Act.

It also reported that the breadth of the draft order, which legal experts described as "sweeping" and "staggering," may exceed the authority of the executive branch if enacted.

Vice President Mike Pence, a staunch social conservative, has a long history of pushing for religious liberty policies will consider this a key victory if the order is signed.

While speculations on the executive order makes rounds, the administration has not yet released any official confirmation.

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