Marriage and our Religious Liberties need your presence and prayers at the State House on Wednesday May 2nd. Please take your stand this Wednesday.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY
NOTICE OF MEETING

House Bill No. 7752—Same-sex divorce
BY Valencia, Ferri, O’Grady, MacBeth, McCauley
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE—COURTS—FAMILY COURT {LC1384/1}

House Bill No. 7753—Limiting of Religious Liberties
BY Ferri, Walsh, Edwards, Messier, Cimini
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO DOMESTIC RELATIONS—CIVIL UNIONS {LC1571/1}

House Bill No. 7845—Redefinition of Marriage
BY Handy, Tanzi, Diaz, Slater, Edwards
ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO DOMESTIC RELATIONS—PERSONS ELIGIBLE TO MARRY {LC1400/1}

Click here to listen to a recent interview with NOM’s Chris Plante, as reported on WPRO News Radio:

Tony Perkins (President of the Family and Research) and Chris Plante (National Organization for Marriage) in studio about the values bus tour hitting the road and stopping in our studio.

• talk about the values bus tour and what it is all about
• talk about who the values voters are and how they vote
• talks about how short term views are getting us in this trouble we are in today

Click here to listen to the interview now!

Senator Reed recently said when asked if he would support efforts to repeal DOMA:  

“Well I’m looking very carefully at it. It’s a critical issue of public policy,” says Reed. “I think it merits a careful study and that’s what I’m doing and I’m going to do it quickly so that I can come to a conclusion.”

Further, through a representative the Senator reported that he is “taking a look and listening to what Rhode Islanders have to say.”  

This is your chance to make your voice heard. Email Senator Reed urging him to support marriage and the Defense of Marriage Act by following this link.

He can also be emailed through his website at: http://reed.senate.gov/contact/

The Senator needs to hear from you today.  Urge him to support DOMA and one man/one woman marriage.  Email him today.

If you would rather call his office, his staff can be reached at the following numbers:

Washington D.C.
728 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Tel: (202) 224-4642
Fax: (202) 224-4680

Providence
U.S. Disctrict Courthouse
One Exchange Terrace, Suite 408
Providence, RI 02903-1173

Tel: (401) 528-5200
Fax: (401) 528-5242
TDD (800) 745-5555

Cranston
1000 Chapel View Boulevard
Suite 290
Cranston, RI 02920-5602

Tel: (401) 943-3100
Fax: (401) 464-6837

For Our Families and Children,

Christopher C. Plante
Executive Director
National Organization for Marriage – Rhode Island

In their shouts for tolerance, the advocates for homosexual marriage neglect to include tolerance for people and institutions of religious faith. Sadly, in many states politicians -including some who call themselves Catholic- have sacrificed religious liberty on the altar of political correctness run amuck. Time and again when given the opportunity to allow the principle of religious liberty to be applied to religious institutions that provide much needed social services, the totalitarian apparatchiks of the homosexual marriage movement have attacked religious liberty and freedom in their relentless quest to redefine marriage at all costs.

We are thankful to Rhode Island Representative Arthur Corvese who had the courage and tenacity to stand up against this pervasive totalitarian mentality that attacks religious liberty seemingly in the name of tolerance and equality. We call upon all Rhode Islanders, especially members of the Catholic community, to continue the fight for religious freedom and the right of conscience, so that people and institutions of religious faith are able to practice their beliefs without interference of the state. It is clear that this is to be a long-term battle, and there are more attacks on the horizon. Together we can fight for our first liberty, religious freedom, for it must be never be allowed to be sacrificed by the intolerance of our secular society.

The National Organization for Marriage-Rhode Island will urge lawmakers next year to specifically outlaw gay marriage by defining it legally as being between a man and a woman, according to executive director Chris Plante.

“Then we look at 2012,” Plante said. “Marriage Equality Rhode Island will make this an election issue, and it will come down to who can bring the most leverage. We believe marriage is a winning political issue.”

It’s possible the contentious debate could resurface yet this year, during a special legislative session this fall. Lawmakers intend to use the fall session to focus on the state’s mounting public pension crisis but could debate other issues as well.

Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence has issued a strong statement lamenting the passage of legislation allowing for civil unions in Rhode Island, and warned Catholics that they cannot be involved in such unions. The legal acceptance of civil unions, the outspoken bishop said, involves “a social experiment that promotes an immoral lifestyle, is a mockery of the institution of marriage as designed by God, undermines the well-being of our families, and poses a threat to religious liberty.” 

After reaffirming the Church’s teaching that homosexual activity is gravely sinful, Bishop Tobin instructed the faithful not to be a part of civil unions:

Because civil unions promote an unacceptable lifestyle, undermine the faith of the Church on holy matrimony, and cause scandal and confusion, Catholics may not participate in civil unions. To do so is a very grave violation of the moral law and, thus, seriously sinful. A civil union can never be accepted as a legitimate alternative to matrimony.

Bishop Tobin concluded his public statement with an appeal for prayer for the future of the state:

Can there be any doubt that Almighty God will, in His own time and way, pass judgment upon our state, its leaders and citizens, for abandoning His commands and embracing public immorality? I encourage Catholics to pray for God’s patience, mercy and forgiveness in these distressing times.

Hiding behind the idea of “compromise” and ignoring the almost universal opposition to this bill, the Rhode Island Senate has opened the door for the courts of Rhode Island to redefine marriage without a vote of the people.  The Senate’s refusal to allow a definition of marriage to be inserted into the bill is either a deliberate omission to set the stage for a future law suit or a naïve belief that homosexual marriage advocates will now go away.  Further, by not including an “inseverability” clause, the Senate has left vulnerable the hard won religious liberties protections put into the bill by the House of Representatives.

The National Organization for Marriage – Rhode Island is pleased that this bill has unprecedented protections for religious liberties in a civil union bill, however we are well aware that the protections do not go far enough to protect the religious liberties of business owners and professionals who wish to run their practices according to their deeply held religious beliefs.  By not extending these protections to individuals the Senate has put at risk the myriad of small businesses and practices run by people of faith.  These voters do not have the resources to defend against lawsuits and as such are left with the tragic choice of betraying their faith or risking their livelihoods.

Nevertheless, the National Organization – Rhode Island is pleased that marriage was successfully defended in Rhode Island against very long odds.  The voters of Rhode Island fought for marriage and defeated the number two priority of the Governor and one of the highest priorities of the Speaker of the House.  With a strong coalition of faith communities, NOM – Rhode Island was able to assist the House of Representatives in drafting and passing religious liberties protections that are unprecedented in other Civil Union laws. 

The National Organization for Marriage – Rhode Island will continue to defend marriage and religious liberties in the Ocean State in the next legislative session and the electoral season to come.

Send emails to the Committee and Senate Leadership right now by using this easy link.  Tell them to vote “No” on HB 6103 AND to support the “inseverability,” definition of marriage, and religious liberties amendments.

This afternoon the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on HB 6103 as amended.  Frankly, it is expected to pass the committee, not for principled reasons but because of the political horse-trading that has been going on throughout the legislative session.

However, there is still a question as to what happens after the committee vote.  In broad strokes there are two potential paths:

1. The bill is voted out of committee at 3:30 and transmitted directly to the floor for a full vote.  The procedural landscape favors this course of action, particularly if we are successful in getting any of our amendments into the bill.
2. The bill is voted out committee at 3:30 but then is held while Senate Leadership waits to see what happens with other bills of interest, i.e. Binding Arbitration.

In either case we need to keep up the pressure and prayers.  Email the Committee and Leadership now. 

Also, please forward this email to your friends and family.  Voices and prayers are the tools of the day.  Marriage and religious liberties need your protection.

If you prefer to call the Committee Members, here is a list of their contact information.

Calling a bill that would legalize same-sex civil unions “onerous and discriminatory,” more than a half-dozen gay advocacy groups called on Governor Chafee Tuesday to veto the legislation if it passes with language that was added to protect religious organizations and their employees. … While gay-marriage advocates say the protections go further than those in any other state, groups such as the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Marriage say they do not go far enough.

There’s still time to make your voice heard!