JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Liberty Counsel commends Missouri Senator Robert Onder for sponsoring
Senate Joint Resolution 39 (SJR 39) and
has offered pro bono legal representation if it is enacted.
SJR 39 protects the right of conscience and free exercise of religious belief so no person will be punished by the government for refraining from participating in or providing personal services for a same-sex “marriage” ceremony. This legislative measure prevents the state of Missouri or state agencies from discriminating through the imposition of taxes or fines, or by denying licenses, loans, insurance, medical benefits, or access to meeting spaces, channels of communication, or other resources to those who hold and act upon their sincere religious belief concerning any purported marriage between two persons of the same sex.
“Liberty Counsel has advised numerous small business owners and churches which have been targeted for declining to provide services for ceremonies which violate their religious beliefs about marriage,” said Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver. “SJR 39 is constitutional and vital to protect their religious freedom. We urge the Missouri legislature to enact it and Governor Nixon to sign it,” said Staver.
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.