IS YOUR CHURCH NEXT?
February 8th, 2006 by Peter
Connecticut’s same-sex civil union law went into effect less than five months ago and already the attacks on religious freedom have begun. St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury is refusing to cover benefits for the same-sex civil union partner of one of its doctors. The doctor has now filed a complaint of bias with the state Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities against St. Mary’s because of the Catholic hospital’s refusal to violate its faith. (Click here to read the Courant story on the complaint.)
It is likely that this will be just the first of many attacks on religious liberty in Connecticut now that civil unions have been legalized. And that is one major reason why the Family Institute of Connecticut fought so hard against same-sex “marriage” and civil unions in the first place!
We warned all along that a radical redefinition of marriage would have terrible consequences for religious freedom in Connecticut. We had already seen the evidence in places where the same-sex “marriage” agenda had been more fully implemented.
Unfortunately, our legislature and governor did not heed our warnings and civil union-inspired attacks on religious freedom in Connecticut have now begun. Pro-family churches and believers across our state are now watching the complaint against St. Mary’s and wondering: will we be next?
During last year’s legislative debate, pro same-sex union lawmakers assured the public that the new law would not lead to attacks on religious liberty. (Some legislators, like Rep. Michael Lawlor (D-East Haven), even went so far as to accuse pro-family advocates seeking conscience protections for religious institutions of being motivated by “bigotry.”) With the complaint against St. Mary’s, the public is now beginning to learn how empty those assurances are.
The same movement that misled our legislature and governor into legalizing civil unions is now asking our courts to undemocratically impose same-sex “marriage” on Connecticut. And once again, FIC will lead the fight to defend faith and family in our state. Connecticut’s Supreme Court will hear arguments on FIC’s motion to intervene in that case, Kerrigan vs. State of Conn., tomorrow.
We invite our members to join us for a press conference on the steps of the Supreme Court, 231 Capitol Avenue in Hartford, tomorrow morning (Thursday, Feb. 9) at 10:00 a.m.
As the complaint against St. Mary’s Hospital reminds us, the movement to legalize same-sex “marriage” is a radically intolerant attack on religious freedom itself. We must raise our voices against it and continue to fight for a family-friendly Connecticut that respects our values. We hope to see you at the Supreme Court tomorrow.
