American Family Association: Partial Victory on DIS-Respect for Marriage Act

Dear Arthur,

Great news! Because of your prayers, hard work, and your support, God has given us a victory in the U.S. Senate. If you’ve been keeping up with our action alerts, you know that the so-called Respect for Marriage Act is a Democrat priority. The bill would provide federal protection to same-sex marriage, undermining the ability of any state to ever challenge the 2015 Obergefell decision, which forced gay marriage on the states.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had planned to put the Respect for Marriage Act on the Senate calendar for a vote this past September. Instead, after hearing from you, he lost the razor thin vote he needed to pass the bill.

We have been working hard to encourage Republicans to stick together to defend marriage. The Democrats need 10 Republicans to join them to avoid a filibuster on the bill. Because of your emails and calls, the tide changed. We won! Praise God!

However, as you know, this issue is not going away.

The sponsors of the Respect for Marriage Act have let it be known that they are going to force a vote on the bill in late November or early December – AFTER the November Congressional elections. Some Republicans – Susan Collins of Maine, for instance – are building a narrative that Republicans are going to vote for this bill, but just don’t want to do it before the midterm elections. “It takes a lot of the political sting out of it,” confessed Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman.

Part of the delay is because of disagreements over religious liberty protections. On one side, Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and others are working on language that is little more than window dressing for their conservative base. On the other, Senator Mike Lee (also of Utah) is reportedly working on an amendment that would provide specific protections for Christian schools and nonprofit organizations.

As we reported in August, the Respect for Marriage Act could be used to eliminate the nonprofit status of Christian K-12 schools, universities, and nonprofits (even AFA). This is a very dangerous bill and is a sign of the trials ahead.

That’s why we are going to keep monitoring this situation – and we are going to keep asking you to tell your U.S. senators to stand against the Respect for Marriage Act. No amendment is going to make this bill better. The entire bill is based on a lie – the false premise that two people of the same sex can actually marry one another. Marriage is meant to be a lifelong union between one man and one woman. Same-sex marriage is not marriage, and we will never, ever support any legislation seeking to codify this lie.

The most recent Republican Party Platform states:

Foremost among those institutions is the American family. It is the foundation of civil society, and the cornerstone of the family is natural marriage, the union of one man and one woman. Its daily lessons — cooperation, patience, mutual respect, responsibility, self-reliance — are fundamental to the order and progress of our Republic.

Same-sex marriage is not settled law. It will never be settled law. Same-sex marriage is deeply offensive to God and is absolutely contrary to the principles of ordered liberty upon which our country was founded. That’s why AFA is committed to defending one-man, one-woman marriage, no matter the odds.

God is bigger than the U.S. Senate. And God, just as He always does, in His own way and in His own timing, came through for us. So, let’s give Him all the glory and the praise, even as we keep fighting and watching.

We’re going to keep the pressure up, reminding Republicans of the party platform and of the truth about marriage. Stay tuned for our next action alert on this. We need Republican senators to go on record about where they stand on this bill.

And let us all continue to “approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Heb. 4:16). With your prayers and support, we are committed to winning this battle.

Sincerely,

Tim Wildmon, President
American Family Association

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