Edit: Analyzing Labrador’s Bill

Congressman Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, says his First Amendment Defense Act does not transform religion into a weapon to discriminate. That’s going to be a tough case to make. Co-sponsored by about 140 House Republicans and one Democrat, Labrador’s bill proposes that nothing in the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision recognizing the constitutional right of same-sex couples to marry compels a church to perform a wedding ceremony. So the tax-exempt status of those religious organizations would remain intact. Who would argue with that? It’s bedrock constitutional law. But as civil libertarians pored over his bill, they’ve found something else. The bill applies to not only to churches but tax exempt nonprofits as well as contractors that accept federal subsidies. In other words, by citing a sincerely-held religious belief, an adoption agency could turn away a same-sex couple/ Lewiston Tribune . More here .

Thoughts?