WASHINGTON — Conservatives are rallying around a House bill designed to protect religious people who advocate for traditional marriage — a belief they say is held in increasing contempt.
But supporters of same-sex “marriage” say the bill actually protects the discriminators — individuals and nonprofits that would deny gay people benefits or services simply because they are “married” to a same-sex partner.
More than 60 House members — mostly Republican — have signed on to the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act, which was introduced Sept. 19 by Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho.
The bill signifies a shift in strategy for gay “marriage” opponents: Increasingly resigned to the reality that they’re unlikely to stop gay “marriage,” they’re now trying to blunt its impact by carving out explicit protections for dissenters.
“This bill affirms that a person’s religious belief in the importance of natural marriage should be treated with tolerance and respect by the federal government,” said David Christensen, vice president for government affairs at the Family Research Council, which is promoting the bill.
The National Organization for Marriage, Focus on the Family, the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, Concerned Women for America and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are also supporting Labrador’s bill. (TAB)
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