By Mark Singer (Atlanta, Georgia) FEB 8 | A GOP member of the Iowa House has introduced a study bill to be proposed to the full house that would allow for legally protected discriminatory business practices based on religious grounds against those in a same-sex marriage. Rep. Richard Anderson, R-Clarinda, a lawyer and sponsor of the bill, told the Des Moines Register newspaper Monday that its intent is is to protect religious liberty.
"I think what we're trying to do is balance constitutional amendments," he said Monday. "There is the 14th Amendment that we've heard a lot about. There's also the First Amendment."
Entitled the "Religious Conscience Protection Act," the measure says that a religious corporation, association, educational institution, society, charity or fraternal organization, or person employed by such entities, would not be required to treat a marriage as valid. They also could deny goods, services or accommodations if the marriage violated a person's religious beliefs.
- An individual, small business or sole proprietor would not be required to provide goods or services "that assist or promote the solemnization or celebration of a marriage." This includes benefits to the spouse of an employee, housing to a married couple and reproductive services.
- People or businesses that refuse to provide services or benefits based upon religious convictions would be able to do so without facing civil claims.
The Des Moines Register reported that Representative Anderson wants to ban same-sex marriage, "a step that would drive state policy toward responsible procreation," he said on the floor of the House last week. Anderson has publicly stated that he thinks that same-sex marriage is a step toward state-recognized polygamy.
Anderson said Monday that some details in the Religious Conscience Protection Act need to be resolved.
Anderson said Monday that some details in the Religious Conscience Protection Act need to be resolved.
"I do hear what you're saying," Anderson said when questions were raised about forms of marriage that some religions might find objectionable. "The bill is not finished. It is still in the process. There may be other concerns that we need to address."
A House subcommittee will consider the measure on Wednesday. The same-sex exclusion is by itself constitutionally troubling, several legal scholars and civil rights activists said. However, the bill is so broad that it would legalize a wide spectrum of other discriminatory acts, they said. They raised questions about whether services could be denied if, say, a Christian were married to a Jew or if a woman who is 60 married a man who is half her age and the couple could not procreate.
Reaction to Anderson's proposed legislation has brought angered commentary from Iowans who see this measure as unnecessary social engineering on the part of the GOP majority. Many Iowans want the legislators to focus on issues pertaining to jobs and the economy, not maintaining focus on what many in the community view as unnecessary governmental intrusion into the private lives of their fellow Iowans.
From The Des Moines Register Comments section, a sampling of reactions:
Legalize discrimination. What has Iowa come to? The supposed religious zealots would do better to clean up their own lives, and be caring people while giving their time and money to their churches. Stay out of others lives. Manipulation and control by these bullying individuals is not what society needs today. This is definitely a slippery slope the extreme right has begun. A law like this may begin with the marriage issue, however what comes next - only people with blue eyes are the chosen ones? Every year we could see another issue or two that these people add to the list, and widen the net of the "bad things". Discrimination within the work force and elsewhere is already bad enough. With this kind of news stories around, I will say for the first time I am ashamed to be an Iowan if this gets any more than a laugh.
Just imagine if the people supporting this bill were your parents and that you realized that you were gay. It's no wonder the suicide rate for gay teens is so high. Of course, these people don't accept that fact that homosexuality is not a choice . They think they raise their kids "right" so they could never have a gay child or grandchild.
I thought that Jesus told people to love each other. Their behavior doesn't seem very Christian to me.
Typical goverment with record unemployment, growing fuel and homeless issues along with growing food cost as well as medical insurance gone wild, why would our elected official work on issues when they can spin it to a no issue looks like iowa takes one HUGE step backward to bigots this week. I just visited with a fellow employee last night who shared her Ex Husband retires from Polk County Sherriffs department at the ripe old age of 50 wow we work till we are 72 the ones we pay taxs to hire get to retire at 50 lets see if any of our so called elected leaders have the balls to attac t that or the Iowa School Boards, as well as Cetec and many other goverment waste instead of always spinning the issues to no winners!
I thought it must be April 1 when I saw this news item. I don't even know what to think or say anymore about the Iowa House. Up here in north Iowa we have real concerns - but not about SSM or religious freedom or anything else this bill proposes to fix! We have concerns about jobs, both service, professional, and manufacturing jobs and our shrinking middle class. You see, we don't have the strong business base that the Des Moines area has. We are really struggling to maintain a middle class up here and yet the Republicans in the house have done absolutely nothing to address that. It has only been crap ever since the start of the new session. I'm fed up with it
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment