The Choice Channel

“The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will address school choice, the Blaine Amendments and anti-Catholicism during a public briefing at Commission headquarters on June 1, 2007. Specifically, this briefing will examine whether certain state constitutional barriers to school choice legislation — known as Blaine Amendments — discriminate against Catholics and whether, more generally, they discriminate against religion. Many state constitutions contain Blaine Amendments that prohibit the use of public school funds to support private religious schools. Some scholars argue that these constitutional amendments were originally enacted with the specific intent of limiting the availability of sectarian religious education and that, in this context, sectarianism may be euphemism for Catholicism.” (05/31/07)