On July 19, by a bipartisan vote of 267-157, the U.S. House of Representatives passed and sent to the Senate HR 8404, the Respect For Marriage Act (full text). The bill provides in part:
No person acting under color of State law may deny—
(1) full faith and credit to any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other State pertaining to a marriage between 2 individuals, on the basis of the sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of those individuals; or
(2) a right or claim arising from such a marriage on the basis that such marriage would not be recognized under the law of that State on the basis of the sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin of those individuals.
On Tuesday, 83 Christian and other conservative organizations sent a letter (full text) to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asking him to oppose the bill, and saying in part:
anyone who supports this measure is crossing a line into aiding and abetting the persecution of people of faith.
The letter suggests that the bill may be interpreted to require religiously-affiliated child placement and social service agencies that receive government funding or work closely with the government to recognize same-sex marriages. Washington Times reports on the letter.
