The United States Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act on Tuesday with a 61-36 vote. The legislation comes as cries from LGBTQ activists suggest same-sex marriage and interracial marriage are in danger of future Supreme Court Rulings. But the Act has downsides that can open a whole new can of worms for child offenders and polygamists.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced an amendment to the bill that would close dangerous loopholes, but the bill was passed down to the House without including the amendment.
Ahead of its passage, Cruz introduced his amendment to the Respect for Marriage Act. The bill opens many insidious avenues attacking children, people of faith and conservatives.
The bill’s intention supposedly lies in unifying states with different laws regarding same-sex marriage. According to the Act, states will have to recognize marriages from other states, even if that marriage doesn’t align with state laws.
I stand with @SenMikeLee – the Senate must protect religious liberties for people of faith.
Religious freedom is our first freedom.https://t.co/ElcUb97bIF
— Mike Pompeo (@mikepompeo) November 29, 2022
The bill creates an opening for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to pursue religious nonprofits that operate in multiple states. If an organization doesn’t abide by state-to-state unification, it could get into significant trouble despite religious affiliations. This possibility tampers with religious freedom in the United States. Cruz stated that the bill “will start a race to the bottom, forcing the most extreme marriage laws from any state onto every other state.”
To his point, and the point of other wrongful marriages being recognized, it wi only take one liberal state to legalize polygamy, incest, or child marriage. Child marriage is technically legal in 43 states, but most states have parental consent guidelines and a minimum age limit. The twenty states that don’t have a minimum age limit will have to be recognized as legal marriages in all states, according to the bill.
Cruz’s amendment would have also prevented potential laws on polygamous marriage and marriages involving relatives from being forced upon other states with differing views. The bill has bipartisan support; however, Cruz isn’t the only Republican who pushed back on religious liberty grounds. “If this is an unintended consequence, the Democrats should have no problem supporting my amendment,” added Cruz. It is very telling that the Respect for Marriage Act was passed without his amendment — leaving the public to question the true intentions of the bill.
