Policy & Advocacy
ENDA Backgrounder 2013
Background on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), 2013
This backgrounder provides information about current versions of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a federal bill that would make it unlawful for employers to make decisions about hiring, firing, compensation, or other terms or conditions of employment based on actual or perceived “sexual orientation” or “gender identity.”
This backgrounder is intended to be read in the context of the Church’s teaching about the rights of workers, a teaching grounded in the meaning and truth of the dignity of the human person. All people are created in the image and likeness of God and therefore possess an inviolable dignity. Furthermore, “work,” as Pope Francis recently said, “is fundamental to that dignity.” It follows that no one should be deprived of the opportunity to work. The Catholic Church has consistently stood with workers in this country and continues to oppose unjust discrimination in the workplace. As explained below, however, ENDA does not represent an authentic step forward in the pursuit of justice in the workplace, and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) therefore opposes ENDA.