Sen. Mike Lee says Congress will need to protect the freedoms of religious institutions if the Supreme Court delivers a pro-gay marriage ruling this summer.
Reports The Hill (see also related Christian Post story):
During oral arguments in the historic same-sex marriage case — Obergfell v. Hodges — Lee said he was troubled by answers Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, arguing in favor of same-sex marriage on behalf of the Obama administration, gave when asked if the government could revoke a religious institution’s tax-exempt status if the court legalizes gay marriage.
“I don’t deny that,” Verrilli said. “It is going to be an issue.”
Lee said he is planning to introduce a new iteration of the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act he introduced last session.
The bill will have a new name and contain new language to ban the federal government from taking any adverse actions against individuals or institutions based on their belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.
“It’s making good on a statement Obama made on the Windsor case,” he said.
After the Supreme Court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act and forced the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in U.S. v. Windsor case in 2013, Lee said Obama promised to not force any church to perform a same-sex marriage.
“We need to make sure President Obama really means it and put the force of law behind his statement,” he said. “We ought to have a guarantee by the government to the American people.”
