The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)
has criticized a proposed civil unions bill in Colorado, saying it
would violate religious freedoms.
The ADF is the leading group
representing clients who claim gay marriage laws violate their
Christian beliefs.
At a Senate committee hearing held last
week, Kellie Fiedorek, litigation counsel with ADF, testified that
the measure fails to “provide sufficient safeguards for the
religious liberties of all Coloradans.”
According to the Denver
Post, Fiedorek was the first of 15 witnesses to testify
against the bill which is expected to become law.
Fiedorek criticized the bill for not
extending religious exemptions to individuals and businesses.
The measure “proposes nothing to
ensure that the government does not penalize, withhold benefits from,
or refuse to contract with clergy, a religious institution, or a
religious organization, not to mention individuals and businesses
that possess sincere religious beliefs about sexual unions and/or the
importance of both mothers and fathers to families,” Fiedorek said.
She added that the “extreme
narrowness of those protections suggests intent to legislate
prejudice toward individuals who possess deeply held religious
beliefs about sexual unions or marriage.”
Fiedorek also testified against a
proposed bill in Rhode Island which seeks to extend marriage rights
to gay and lesbian couples.