Chris Rodkey - Freedom Voter Guide

Party:

Democrat

District:

93

Office:

State House

www.Rodkey4PA.com

https://www.facebook.com/RodkeyChris

https://twitter.com/rev_ChrisRodkey

Survey Responses:

S = Support
O = Oppose
NR = No Response

Life	S	O	NR
1. Prohibiting Abortion: Prohibiting abortion except when necessary to save the mother's life.		X
2. Taxpayer Funded Abortion: Allowing taxpayer dollars to fund organizations that provide abortion.	X
3. Physician-Assisted Suicide: Allowing voluntary physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients.	X

Candidate's Comments:

1. I do not believe any government agency should force women to leave their state of residence to receive post-miscarriage surgery, and find the effort to ignore this issue religiously and morally reprehensible. 2. I do not believe that women who require surgery after miscarriage should be coerced into not receiving proper care because they cannot afford it. 3. Under certain circumstances, I believe Americans should have this right.

First Amendment	S	O	NR
4. Conscience Rights for Creative Professionals: Allowing creative professionals (photographer, baker, wedding vendor) to decline to participate in events or create messages that violate their moral or religious beliefs.		X
5. Conscience Rights for Faith-Based Organizations: Exempting faith-based organizations from regulations that cause them to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs.		X
6. Free Speech on Campus: Prohibiting speech zones or speech codes that restrict where students can discuss controversial or unpopular issues on college campuses.	X
7. Donor Privacy: Protecting confidential donor information so individuals are able to privately support charities of their choice without fear of being doxed.			X

Candidate's Comments:

4. If the business is a private, for-profit business, no. 5. This is not an absolute position. I would need to know more specifically what we're talking about. Are we talking about kicking out a child from a preschool when their parents are discovered to be gay or the right to ritually sacrifice chickens? This question is vague, so I oppose. 6. At public universities, yes. 7. This question is unclear, and what one means by "confidential donor information" is not defined. Nonprofits are required in some states to report some of their donors by law, I support states to maintain their laws as they deem appropriate for themselves. PAC donations should follow appropriate federal and state election law. If public officials release their tax documents they should not redact their charitable donations if they claim tax exemption benefits.

Family	S	O	NR
8. Women's Sports: Preventing biological males who identify as female from competing in women's sports.		X
9. Gender Identity Counseling: Allowing parents to obtain professional counseling for children struggling with gender identity issues to help them reach their desired outcome.	X
10(a). Protected Class for Sexual Orientation: Adding “sexual orientation” as a protected class alongside race, religion, sex, age, and disability in nondiscrimination law.	X
10(b). Protected Class for Gender Identity: Adding “gender identity” as a protected class alongside race, religion, sex, age, and disability in nondiscrimination law.	X

Candidate's Comments:

8. This question is unspecific and unclear. It is a violation of right of free association to make a blanket statement of "sports," depending on what it is we're talking about in terms of the athletic setting. Private and non-profit businesses and organizations should not be given rules of competition by the government. Religious sports organizations have the right to be discriminatory if they see discrimination as part of their essential religious practices. I realize that this question is really about public schools, but that's not how this question is worded. 9. Yes, within the constraints of legal practices of counseling and medical care.

Education and Public Safety	S	O	NR
11. School Choice: Allowing the use of tax credits, vouchers, and education savings accounts to cover the cost of children attending the school of their parents' choice, including private schools.			X
12. Parental Rights for Opt-Out: Giving parents the ability to opt their children out of school materials and lessons to which the parents object.	X
13. Critical Race Theory: Allowing schools to teach children that America's laws, policies, and society perpetuate systemic racism and that people are either oppressors or oppressed, or privileged or marginalized, based on their skin color.	X
14. Parental Rights for Transparency in Education: Giving parents access to the curriculum and materials their children are learning in school and allowing them to decide whether or not their children should be exposed to certain ideas.	X

Candidate's Comments:

11. This question is asking about several different issues, so I leave it unanswered so I may be more specific here. I oppose tax credits for tuition at primary or secondary schools, including the corporate welfare programs that exist in PA that take money from public schools and use it for tax credits for individuals and businesses in exchange for donations. I support charter schools, and charter school reform, in PA, but oppose vouchers for private education because it is a violation of the state constitution's precepts to do so. I support expansions of educational savings account use for FSAs and the promotions of 529s, but my assumption is that this question is about ESAs which take public funds to use for religious education, and I consistently oppose this. It's a violation of state law in PA to do this, regardless of how many state lawmakers keep saying they're going to do it. They would have to end the separation of church and state in the Commonwealth to legally do this. And I support the separation of church and state. 12. Despite what some state lawmakers say, this is already the law in PA. 13. I support educating varying perspectives, including factual ones. 14. Despite what some state lawmakers say, this is already the law in PA.

Health and Welfare	S	O	NR
15. Medical Rights of Conscience: Allowing health care workers and providers the freedom to practice medicine in accordance with their personal beliefs and conscience.		X
16. Parental Rights for Healthcare Disclosure: Requiring schools to disclose to parents if the school is providing counseling or medical services to a child who desires to undergo “gender transition.”		X
17. Parental Rights for Mental Health Disclosure: Directing schools to inform parents of any mental, physical, or emotional health information and treatment that a child is receiving at school.	X

Candidate's Comments:

15. I believe that a moderate approach is that employers may make these requirements necessary grounds for employment at the time of hire. If this was not done, a medical facility ought to be required to find another job for the individual who refuses to get a vaccination during a pandemic within the organization that will not place vulnerable populations at risk or unreasonably expose the business from litigation for negligence. If no positions are available or agreed upon, the business should have the right to terminate an employee. If the employee refuses to comply with a job offer within the organization and rejects it, the employee should not qualify for unemployment benefits. One should keep in mind that in PA workers have so little rights to begin with that I believe that my position is very much a middle of the road approach. 16. Professional ethics codes and laws for counselors should be maintained depending on the age of the student. Medical care from a physician, however, should not be administered to a minor without parental consent so long as the parent legally has medical agency over the minor. 17. Professional ethics codes and laws for counselors should be maintained depending on the age of the student. Medical care from a physician, however, should not be administered to a minor without parental consent so long as the parent legally has medical agency over the minor.

Endorsements:

Note: The endorsements listed are self-reported by the candidates and have not been independently verified.

Pennsylvania State Education Association: PSEA-PACE
Firearm Owners Against Crime (primary recommendation)
Freethought Equity Fund
American Youth for Climate Action
Working Families Party
Progressive Turnout Project