Stay away from these states.
For the second year in a row, Illinois has been named the top state for religious liberty due to its extensive range of protections. The latest “Religious Liberty in the States” report from the Center for Religion, Culture, and Democracy at First Liberty Institute highlights Illinois’ continued leadership in safeguarding religious freedoms. This annual report assesses the religious liberty protections across all 50 states, placing Illinois at the forefront while ranking West Virginia as the least protective.
Illinois’ overall score for this year is 81%, a slight decrease from last year’s 85%. Despite this minor drop, Illinois remains the leader in providing a broad spectrum of religious protections. In contrast, West Virginia’s score improved from 14% to 24%, although it still ranks at the bottom of the list. The report evaluates 16 different safeguards, and while Illinois excels in many areas, it lacks specific protections for certain scenarios, such as public officials unwilling to perform same-sex weddings and businesses that do not want to offer services for these events.
The state of Illinois has a comprehensive set of religious protections, including allowances for absentee voting on religious grounds, general conscience protections for healthcare workers, and exemptions for employers who oppose covering abortions and sterilizations in health insurance plans. Additionally, Illinois permits minors to consume alcohol during religious ceremonies, has a Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and allows for exemptions from childhood vaccination requirements for religious reasons. It also grants excused absences from school for religious observances.
Nationally, the most common religious liberty safeguard is the exemption from health insurance mandates. However, several states, including California, Colorado, and New York, do not provide full exemptions from immunization requirements. The presence of comprehensive protections varies widely, with only a few states offering complete safeguards in all areas of religious liberty. This disparity underscores the varied approaches to religious freedom across the United States.