Bishops back First Amendment Defense Act

June 23, 2015

Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, the chairman of the US bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, and Archbishop William Lori, chairman of the bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, have offered strong support for the First Amendment Defense Act.

Introduced in Congress by Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-ID) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), the legislation “would bar the federal government from discriminating against individuals and organizations based upon their religious beliefs or moral convictions that marriage is the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explained.

“The Act provides broad protections against adverse federal actions directed toward individuals and organizations that act on such beliefs,” the USCCB added. “Importantly, the First Amendment Defense Act would protect a wide array of persons, including individuals and organizations – both for-profits and non-profits – regardless of whether or not they are religiously affiliated. Thus, business owners as well as faith communities would be protected.”

 

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Further information:

• USCCB Chairmen Give Strong Support For The ‘First Amendment Defense Act’ (USCCB)
• First Amendment Defense Act (USCCB backgrounder)