Brooks Stands Up in Defense of Religious Liberty
Statement
This week, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) joined an amicus brief led by Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-04) urging the United States Supreme Court to expediently take up Arlene's Flowers v. State of Washington. In Arlene's Flowers v. State of Washington, the Washington Supreme Court oppressively held that a florist was bound by state law to design floral arrangements for a same-sex ceremony, an event she viewed as immoral.
Congressman Mo Brooks said, "As an advocate of the First Amendment, I strongly support our citizens' right to the freedom of religion. In direct contravention of the Bill of Rights, Mrs. Stutzman is being persecuted for her sincerely held religious beliefs. Both her business and personal life are at risk as a result of her choice to refuse to participate in an event she deemed immoral."
Congressman Brooks continued, "Throughout her career, Mrs. Stutzman has served and employed people who identify as homosexual. However, when she acted consistent with her faith and declined to use her creative skills to celebrate the same-sex ceremony of a customer, the American Civil Liberties Union and the Washington Attorney General claimed she was guilty of unlawful discrimination. Mrs. Stutzman views marriage as a sacred covenant between a man and a woman, and therefore providing her talents to a same-sex ceremony would violate her religious beliefs."
Congressman Brooks concluded, "This is just one example of relentless fear-mongering and oppression from the left when it comes to religious expression. It is unconstitutional for the State of Washington to coerce Mrs. Stutzman to engage in expression which violates her religious beliefs. The right to practice deeply held religious convictions is an underpinning of our nation's founding principles, and it is vital the Supreme Court take up this case and uphold the Constitution. Rest assured, I will continue to defend religious liberty with my voice in Congress."
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