Spotlight of SB 1062 swings to new bill

Short of being an outright rally-the-base fundraising effort on the part of the Reich, I have no clue what this bill (HB 2481) is trying to accomplish. I haven't found anything to the contrary (sorry the UK doesn't count) showing were a minister, rabbi, etc have had to perform a same-sex marriage ceremony. No church in the US has been forced to perform (or facilitate) a same sex ceremony. The New Jersey case mentioned is an outright fabrication and twisting of facts on the part of Montenegro, which I will address in another post.

However, a public official, such as a justice of the peace, does not get to pick and choose. When ANY eligible couple (depending on that states statutes) comes before him/her desiring to be married then it doesn't matter what religious affiliation the justice of the peace is s/he must see to it that the ceremony is performed. If not said justice needs to step down, plain and simple.

The Reich is stealing from the Pro-LIfe playbook. It is inevitable that marriage equality is coming to all 50 states. What they are doing is making it impossible to have a "state" sanctioned recognition of said marriages by limiting the forums in which a marriage can be performed
__
The demise of Senate Bill 1062, which was widely denounced as discriminatory against gays and lesbians, may not be the last word in Arizona’s debate over religious freedoms and civil rights this legislative session.

Another bill, also being touted as protecting religious freedom, has garnered little attention but could again force lawmakers to take a stand on a divisive issue.

House Bill 2481, which has advanced on mostly party-line committee votes and is awaiting a debate by the full House of Representatives, would prevent government from requiring ordained clergy and judges to “solemnize a marriage that is inconsistent with the minister’s sincerely held religious beliefs.”

The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Steve Montenegro, R-Litchfield Park, is narrower than SB 1062, which would have offered a legal defense for individuals and businesses facing discrimination lawsuits if they could have proved they acted upon a “sincerely held religious belief.”

[,,,]
An assistant pastor at a Surprise church, Montenegro told The Arizona Republic on Thursday that the legislation grew out of instances in New Jersey and England, where churches were sued for refusing to perform same-sex ceremonies. He said the legislation would also apply to priests, pastors, rabbis and others who might be asked to sanction marriages that contradict their beliefs and teachings.

“The intent of my bill is to directly protect clergy, churches, man or woman of the cloth, to protect them from doing marriage ceremonies that go against their faith,” Montenegro said.

He could not provide an example of a clergy member in Arizona who has been forced to act against his or her beliefs in marrying individuals. Marriage is defined in the state Constitution as only between a man and a woman.


Spotlight of SB 1062 swings to new bill