Anti-LGBT So-Called “First Amendment Defense Act” Would Have Dangerous & Far-Reaching Consequences

[cbayer]

http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/anti-lgbt-so-called-first-amendment-defense-act-has-dangerous-and-far-reach


July 17, 2015 by Stephen Peters


Today, HRC pinpointed the dangerous consequences of the so-called First Amendment Defense Act (S. 1598, H.R. 2802), introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) and Representative Raúl Labrador (R-ID). Going far beyond protecting the rights established in the First Amendment, this anti-LGBT legislation would undermine the rule of law and promote taxpayer-funded discrimination. The legislation is scheduled for a markup in the House Oversight and Government Affairs Committee next week.

“Once again, House Republicans are pursuing an extreme agenda that is designed to harm LGBT families under the guise of religious freedom. The right to believe is fundamental. The right to use taxpayer dollars to discriminate is not," said HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow. “Religious freedom is valued by all Americans, but this bill has nothing to do with the First Amendment.”

The stated purpose of the First Amendment Defense Act is to “prevent discriminatory treatment of any person on the basis of views held with respect to marriage.” On its face, the bill would prohibit the federal government from making funding or tax status decisions based on an organization’s views on marriage that are driven by religious belief or moral conviction. The right to free exercise of religion is fundamental, and the federal government must already respect the rights of religious institutions to practice their faith – including the choice not to perform marriages that are not supported by their faith. However, the First Amendment Defense Act goes far beyond protecting these rights and threatens to create a breakdown of government services, opening the door to discrimination against same-sex couples, their families, and those who love them.

Here are the facts:

The First Amendment Defense Act Provides No New Protections Under the First Amendment.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution provides meaningful and weighty protections for both individuals and religious organizations from burdensome government intrusion. In recent years, federal courts have interpreted the First Amendment to protect religious organizations ability to proselytize and to freely express their beliefs without government interference. Federal courts have also broadly interpreted existing exemptions from federal civil rights laws, affirming religious organization’s ability to make decisions concerning employment to a wide variety of employees – from teachers to administrative staff – based on religious convictions. No religious organization or clergy is required to sanction or perform same-sex marriage under any federal or state law.

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[skepticscott]

1. Religion makes people stupid

It makes them think stupid, say stupid and do stupid.

And the religionists here try their darnedest to excuse and rationalize the most despicable things. Good thing we've seen less of some of them lately..