FFRF gets major legislative victory

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is lauding a victory toward one of its central legislative goals: increasing access to secular recovery programs.

Thanks to advocacy by FFRF on this issue on Capitol Hill, the president on Dec. 31 signed into law an appropriations bill that includes a request that federal tax dollars can be awarded to evidence-based recovery programs that support medication assisted treatment. This includes most secular mutual support recovery providers such as LifeRing and SMART Recovery.

Currently, most mutual support recovery programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, are religious or “spiritual” in nature. Many areas of the country do not have adequate access to secular recovery programs, in large part due to lack of funding and awareness.

FFRF and its governmental affairs director, Mark Dann, based in D.C., have been working alongside a secular coalition to increase the number of recovery options for all Americans.

With this new funding, nonreligious Americans will be able to utilize recovery programs without sacrificing their right of conscience or being subjected to unwanted proselytization. FFRF will continue to fight for the expansion of funding for secular recovery services in the future.