Last Monday, the Senate passed an amended HR 8404, which rejected all three of the Republican religious freedom amendments. Their votes exposed virulent hatred for anything religious and the desire of some to attack and silence people of faith. However, because the worthless Baldwin-Collins amendment was added, this bill must now return to the House for final passage. The House Rules Committee is scheduled to bring up this amended bill Monday afternoon.

WE CAN STOP HR 8404 from becoming law!

This bill will federalize same-sex marriage. In so doing, it establishes a national LGBTQ public policy that can be used far beyond marriage issues. It will unleash all the federal departments to promote, investigate and persecute ordinary Christians like YOU. This bill will expand abuse by allowing one state or territory to export its child-bride “marriage” laws and force other groups to give honor to child abusers.

We need to act now. Our staff has been hard at work on both sides of Congress to educate on the dangers of this bill, and we believe we have been effective in reducing support for this bill in the House.

I need your help to urge members of the U.S. House to hold the line against this horrendous bill. Rush urgent faxes against HR 8404. —Mat

With the version that passed the Senate this week, HR 8404 will create a baseline public policy that will have both a direct and an indirect impact. State laws will have to conform to this national public policy in both public and many private realms.

HR 8404 will establish a federal public policy that gender is irrelevant even in an obvious gender-based human relationship—marriage. Such a public policy will extend far beyond same-sex marriage. If gender is “irrelevant” in marriage, then it will be “irrelevant” in sports and private separate gender facilities.

Object to the drag queen indoctrinating your child in school? Too bad. This public policy will make you look like a bigot, much like if someone objected to having a person of color speak to the class. LGBTQ will be placed in the same protected category as race.

Establishing special privileges for same-sex conduct at the same level as religious freedom or race-based discrimination will have a destructive impact across America.

HR 8404 conscripts all federal agencies to leverage their authority and resources to do what Congress cannot do for the LGBTQ lobby. Think Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and more.

HR 8404 will not just force same-sex marriage on the nation. It will also allow just one state to force every state to recognize any perversion of “marriage.” This bill goes far beyond same-sex marriage.

Beyond same-sex marriage, HR 8404 empowers a state to force its marriage laws upon other states and territories. A handful of states like California have no minimum age for marriage, resulting in the terrible abuse often referred to as “child bride marriage.” These marriages are often forced upon young minors who are sexually abused or forced into such relationships.

The bill has no real religious liberty protections. The fact that three religious liberty amendments were rejected by the Senate (proposed by Sens. Lee, Lankford and Rubio) in favor of the Baldwin-Collins amendment illustrates the open disdain the bill presents to religious freedom.

HR 8404 will establish a public policy that will be used to crush religious freedom. The real goal here is to silence and punish people of faith while forcing the LGBTQ agenda on everyone.

Remember Kentucky Clerk Kim Davis who spent six days in jail for refusing to use her name and authority to endorse same-sex marriage? Even though the Kentucky legislature unanimously passed a religious accommodation law, HR 8404 would override that law and force every person in public service to violate their sincere religious beliefs.

We need to stop this bill. YOU can make the difference. Working together, we can stop HR 8404 from passing! Everyone must speak up NOW by sending faxes and signing our petition!

In addition to our intense work on this bill, we are very busy with many cases. On December 13, we return to court in California to discuss the trial next year for Sandra Merritt, the grandmother who exposed Planned Parenthood.

I am preparing for oral argument at the Court of Appeals defending service members in the Marines and Navy on December 14. On December 15, our discovery closes on our class action case for the Marines as we prepare for trial in January.

And on December 19, a court will consider final approval of our more than 10.3-million-dollar settlement for health care workers.

Without you, NONE of our work is possible. Thanks to generous supporters, our Challenge Grant will effectively DOUBLE THE IMPACT OF YOUR DONATION. Any gift before midnight, December 31, in your time zone will qualify under the Challenge Grant.

PLEASE, be a part of the blessing today by selecting here.

As always, I appreciate your prayers against this bill and for our nation—and for our team!

Mat Staver
Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

Source:

“H.R. 8404—Respect for Marriage Act.” House of Representatives Committee on Rules. July 18, 2022. Rules.house.gov/bill/117/hr-8404.