The U.S. Senate voted 61-36 on Tuesday, Nov. 29, to pass an amended version of HR8404, the so-called “Respect for Marriage Act.”
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley voted against the measure, while Sen. Joni Ernst voted in favor.
“[I am] disappointed in Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst for joining in U.S. Senate passing the (Dis)Respect for Marriage Act,” commented Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The FAMiLY Leader, following the vote. “Unraveling marriage and defying God’s design has unraveled gender, launched trans hysteria, harmed children, and eroded religious liberty. This is a disaster for America.”
The “Respect for Marriage Act,” which passed the U.S. House in a previous form, will now be returned to the House to be passed again in its amended version. After that, it is expected to be sent to the president’s desk, where President Biden is expected to sign it into law.
Far from respecting marriage, however, HR8404 would not only codify same-sex unions as “marriage” in the federal code, but also compel states to affirm whatever other states define as “marriage.”
What’s more, religious liberty attorneys throughout America have warned of the consequences of codifying same-sex marriage, as this bill specifically invites activists to file countless lawsuits crushing religious liberty in America and threatening to shutter Christian foster and adoption agencies, dumping thousands of children into the government-run foster care system.
“Let’s be clear: the religious freedom ‘protections’ in the new version of the Respect for Marriage Act are entirely inadequate,” warns Gregory S. Baylor, who serves as senior counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom. “While proponents of the bill claim that it simply codifies the 2015 Obergefell decision, in reality it is an intentional attack on the religious freedom of millions of Americans with sincerely held beliefs about marriage.”