Two groups on Thursday praised the
Senate introduction of a bill which seeks a religious exemption for
opponents of gay marriage.
The bill, introduced by Senator Mike
Lee, a Republican from Utah, is a companion piece to a House bill
introduced in September by Idaho Rep. Raul Labrador. The House
version of the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act has
attracted 91 co-sponsors as of Wednesday.
Labrador has said that his proposed
legislation seeks to protect groups “from discrimination by the
federal government.”
He told The Washington Post that
the legislation is a response to the Supreme Court's decision
striking down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which prohibited
federal agencies from recognizing the legal marriages of gay and
lesbian couples.
“Some people looked at overturning
it, or doing a constitutional amendment,” Labrador
said. “I looked at the immediate need, which is the protection
of religious institutions and churches, so that they can continue
practicing their religion as they see fit.”
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San
Francisco, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops'
(USCCB) Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, and
Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the USCCB's Ad Hoc
Committee for Religious Liberty, strongly backed the measure in a
written statement.
“The fact that this very important
non-discrimination bill has now been introduced in the Senate is
quite encouraging,” said Cordileone. “As with the House bill,
the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act introduced in the
Senate would prohibit the federal government from discriminating
against religious believers who hold to the timeless truth that
marriage is the union of one man and one woman. This Act, therefore,
provides necessary protections. Increasingly, state laws are being
used to target individuals and organizations for discrimination
simply because they act on their belief that marriage is the union of
one man and one woman. Such prejudice must not be allowed to spread
to the federal government.”
Archbishop Lori added, “I urge both
the House and the Senate to pass the Marriage and Religious
Freedom Act. We are witnessing a growing climate of intolerance
against individuals and organizations who believe that marriage is
the union of one man and one woman, with a 'comply or else' attitude
being advanced by those who favor marriage redefinition in law. In
this coercive climate, the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act
is an important step in preserving religious liberties at the federal
level.”
Brian Brown, president of the National
Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation's most vociferous
opponent of same-sex marriage, lauded Lee and Labrador for sponsoring
the legislation.
“I express my own personal gratitude,
as well as the gratitude of NOM and all its allies, to Senator Mike
Lee, Representative Raul Labrador, and so many other heroic members
of Congress who are working to ensure that the freedoms we all hold
so dear are not trampled underfoot in a bullying mob's rush to
redefine marriage,” he
wrote.