Republican calls for Court to protect religious institutions in gay marriage ruling

As the Supreme Court prepares to issue a ruling on same-sex marriage, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is calling on Congress to protect the freedoms of religious institutions.

During oral arguments in the historic same-sex marriage case — Obergfell v. Hodges — Lee said he was troubled by answers Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, arguing in favor of same-sex marriage on behalf of the Obama administration, gave when asked if the government could revoke a religious institution’s tax-exempt status if the court legalizes gay marriage.

{mosads}“I don’t deny that,” Verrilli said. “It is ­­going to be an issue.”

Lee said he is planning to introduce a new iteration of the Marriage and Religious Freedom Act he introduced last session.

The bill will have a new name and contain new language to ban the federal government from taking any adverse actions against individuals or institutions based on their belief that marriage is between a man and a woman.

“It’s making good on a statement Obama made on the Windsor case,” he said

After the Supreme Court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act and forced the federal government to recognize same-sex marriages in U.S. v. Windsor case in 2013, Lee said Obama promised to not force any church to perform a same-sex marriage.

“We need to make sure President Obama really means it and put the force of law behind his statement,” he said. “We ought to have a guarantee by the government to the American people.”

Without the protection of Lee’s legislation, Keith Wiebe, president of the American Association of Christian Schools, said Christian schools’ tax-exempt status, accreditation and teacher certifications are in danger.

“The federal government should not discriminate against people simply because they believe in a natural marriage,” he said.