DC Council Holds Hearing On Same-Sex Marriage Proposal

Last week, the District of Columbia Council, Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, held a hearing on the proposed Religious Freedom & Civil Marriage Equality Amendment Act of 2009 which would allow same-sex marriages to be performed in the District of Columbia. (A video of the hearing is available online.) Under the bill, no clergy would be required to solemnize a marriage if it violated the clergy person's free exercise of religion. No religious organization is required to make facilities or services available for a marriage that is in violation of the group's religious beliefs unless the group makes the facilities available to the general public. The Pilot yesterday reported on written testimony submitted at the hearing by the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. The Archdiocese urged broader religious exemptions, including exemptions for religious groups that provide services or rent space to those outside the group's faith. The Archdiocese warned that under the current bill, organizations that oppose same-sex marriages for religious reasons but serve the community could be denied government contracts or access to government facilities. It also claimed that under the bill, doctors, social workers and child-care workers opposed to same-sex marriage could have their licenses revoked, employers could be sued for not providing benefits to same-sex couples and religious colleges could have their accreditation revoked. (See prior related posting.)