Labrador Issues Statement Regarding Court's Ruling in Marriage Case

Statement

Rep. Raúl Labrador, R-Idaho, issued this statement following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, the same-sex marriage case:

"Today, a slim majority of the Supreme Court took away the right of the people of each state to define marriage. The decision turns the principles of democracy on their head. As Justice Scalia correctly states in his dissent, our founding documents gave the citizens of this great nation the 'freedom to govern themselves.' That freedom was taken away today in the name of "liberties' not mentioned in the constitution.

"The decision makes it all the more important that Congress move to protect the religious liberty of those who believe in traditional marriage. No American should be penalized for following their religious beliefs or moral convictions. In the majority opinion, Justice Kennedy states, "The First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered.'

"To provide those very protections, I have introduced the First Amendment Defense Act, H.R. 2802. My bill would prohibit any federal agency from denying a tax exemption, grant, contract, license or certification to an individual, association, or business based on their belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. It is imperative that we move quickly to protect the religious liberty of religious organizations and persons and I call on the leadership of the House and the Senate to speed up consideration of this bill and its companion, S. 1598, introduced by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah."

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