SB 10 and Individual Religious Liberties

Written by David E. Smith

As state lawmakers prepare to go back to Springfield for the second week of the fall veto session, and as rumors fly about a pending vote on redefining the institution of marriage (SB 10), citizens of Illinois need to seriously consider the fact that people of faith have absolutely no religious protections in this radical policy proposal.

People of faith should be free to live and work according to our beliefs.  But in states that have passed same-sex marriage, they are being punished and persecuted for exercising their First Amendment rights.

We need to contemplate what is happening in Iowa for example, where a Mennonite couple has been forced to counter-sued the Iowa Civil Rights Commission to prevent the agency from forcing them to perform same-sex marriages at their wedding chapel and pay damages to a couple they turned away.

Read more about this terrible religious discrimination in this article by the Christian Post.

SB 10 would trump the civil rights and religious liberties of many of your constituents.  Please do not sit back and do nothing while lawmakers in the Illinois House work to pass religious bigotry into law.  Forcing people of faith to surrender their deeply held beliefs in order to keep their jobs, maintain a state contract or run a business or ministry is discriminatory.

Take ACTION: Encourage your lawmakers to uphold marriage, family and religious freedom in Illinois by voting against SB 10.  Call the Capitol switchboard at (217) 782-2000 and ask your state representative to vote NO to SB 10.