The American Family Association is coordinating a campaign by pro-family activists to contact the U.S. Senate to stop the Democrats’ homosexual “marriage” bill.
Now that Roe v. Wade has been reversed, the entire liberal agenda is in trouble, wrote our friends at AFA. As Justice Clarence Thomas observed in his concurrence in the Dobbs case: “[I]n future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.”
Griswold found a constitutional right to contraception – and prevented states from regulating its use. Lawrence invented a constitutional right to sodomy – and prevented states from prohibiting unnatural acts. Obergefell created a constitutional right to same-sex marriage – and nullified the ability of states to define marriage according to the historical and natural definition of one man/one woman.
To protect the newly created right to same-sex marriage, however, the U.S. House has passed “The Respect for Marriage Act” (H.R. 8404). The bill is a threat to real constitutional rights – the rights to free speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of assembly. The legislation could also be used by the IRS to revoke the tax status of Christian schools, universities and nonprofits.
This was a leadership decision, noted AFA. The Respect for Marriage Act was introduced on July 18, 2022. It passed the House three days later. The vote in the House wasn’t even close!
H.R. 8404 passed 267 to 157. This means 47 Republicans voted for it. For Nancy Pelosi, this is a legacy item.
The Eagle Forum’s bill analysis of HR 8404 is worth reviewing for its clarity on why conservatives should oppose this egregious violation of the constitution’s principles of federalism:
The first point is that H.R. 8404 is little more than a vehicle to empower homosexuals and other gender ideologues to engage in lawfare against churches and religious institutions. The bill creates a private right of action that may be brought by “any person who is harmed by a violation” of the Act “against the person who violated” the right or claim. This would empower homosexuals and their well-funded lobby to sue the Catholic Church or any other church or religious institution that refuses to perform same-sex marriages.
Secondly, Eagle Forum explains that there is one glaring absence from the so-called Respect for Marriage Act and that is any language referencing the religious liberty rights of those whose religious tenets do not consider same-sex marriage to be the equivalent of traditional marriage. Federal recognition of same-sex marriage without a religious exemption could violate the conscience protections of Americans who morally disagree with this notion. As Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his dissent in Obergefell, “[the] decision . . . creates serious questions about religious liberty. Many good and decent people oppose same-sex marriage as a tenet of faith, and their freedom to exercise religion is – unlike the right imagined by the majority – actually spelled out in the Constitution.”
Conservatives must oppose this latest intrusion of sexual politics into the religious life of Americans. We join Eagle Forum, AFA and other conservative leaders and organizations in urging CHQ readers and friends to call their Senators (the Capitol Switchboard is (202) 224-3121 to demand they vote NO on the Democrats’ inaptly-named Respect for Marriage Act. You can use the AFA activism tool to email your Senators through this link.
The legislation has been fast-tracked in the U.S. Senate. There will be no committee hearings, and the bill could come to the floor at any time. In other words, it is a priority, and the Democrats will be willing to trade almost anything to get moderate Republicans on board. They need 60 votes to avoid a filibuster, which means they need 10 Republicans to support their radical agenda.
We have to stop them. If we don’t, the nonprofit status of Christian schools, universities and nonprofits like AFA will come under the intense scrutiny of the IRS.
Contact your U.S. Senators today! We need your help to tell Senators to stand strong against H.R. 8404.
To reiterate: The so-called Respect for Marriage Act (H.R. 8404) would essentially give federal protection to same-sex marriage. But that’s not all. In doing so, the law would create a “private right of action” that activists will use to sue anyone who gets in their way. The bill also authorizes the Department of Justice to go after violators.
This will include a wide array of Christian nonprofits, starting with adoption agencies and foster-care providers and other groups that work with federal and state governments. The ultimate aim of the bill is to eliminate any chance of there being a legal challenge to Obergefell. State legislatures will be intimidated into doing nothing, as the supporters of traditional marriage are silenced and canceled.
Worse still, the Respect for Marriage Act could be used by the IRS to try to force K-12 religious schools to hire same-sex married teachers. It could be used to try to require Christian universities to enroll same-sex married students. It could even be used to destroy the nonprofit status of pro-family groups like AFA.
We need your help to tell Senators to vote NO on the Respect for Marriage Act.
This vote will be one of the most important votes the Senate takes this year. They need to hear from you today. Use the AFA activism tool or call your Senator through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
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