The United States Conference of
Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has endorsed a federal bill that seeks to
protect opponents of same-sex marriage, calling it a “modest”
measure that protects “the rights of faith-based organizations.”
First introduced in 2015 by Senator
Mike Lee of Utah and Rep. Raul Labrador of Idaho, the First Amendment
Defense Act (FADA) seeks to bar federal “discriminatory action”
against those who oppose such unions based on a “religious belief
or moral conviction.” The bill stalled in the House and Senate.
Lee reintroduced the controversial bill
earlier this month with the backing of 21 Republican senators,
including Marco Rubio of Florida, Ted Cruz of Texas and Orrin Hatch
of Utah.
“We welcome and applaud the recent
reintroduction of the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA). The USCCB
has been vocal in support of the legislation since its inception.
FADA is a modest and important measure that protects the rights of
faith-based organizations and people of all faiths and of no faith
who believe that marriage is the union of one man and one woman,”
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Kentucky, chairman of the USCCB
Committee for Religious Liberty, and Bishop James D. Conley of
Nebraska, chairman of the USCCB Subcommittee for the Promotion and
Defense of Marriage, said in a joint statement.
“For example, in a pluralistic
society, faith-based charitable agencies and schools should not be
excluded from participation in public life by loss of licenses,
accreditation, or tax-exempt status because they hold reasonable
views on marriage that differ from the federal government’s view.
The leadership of the Catholic Church will continue to promote and
protect the natural truth of marriage as foundational to the common
good.”
“The Church will also continue to
stand for the ability of all to exercise their religious beliefs and
moral convictions in public life without fear of government
discrimination. We are pleased to support the First Amendment Defense
Act, and we urge Congress to pass this important legislation,” they
added.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, has called FADA “harmful
legislation that would legalize state-sanctioned discrimination and
undermine key civil rights protections for LGBTQ people.”
No comments:
Post a Comment