Alabama lawmakers are pushing through a bill that would allow wedding officiates to refuse to marry same-sex couples for religious reasons.
House Bill 56, the Freedom of Religion in Marriage Protection Act, would give anyone who can officiate a wedding the right to refuse to do so. People testified on behalf of the bill, which has passed in the house, during a hearing for the state senate judiciary committee on Wednesday.
State representative Jim Hill sponsored the bill and said that it would not block same-sex couples from marrying in the state, but would offer protection to probate judges and ministers who believe same-sex marriage violates their religious beliefs.
Local LGBT rights groups in Alabama are concerned that the legislation could also block same-sex couples from accessing schools and hospitals with religious affiliations.
Democratic state representative Patricia Todd, the only openly gay lawmaker in the state, told al.com that the bill discriminates against same-sex couples who want to marry. “This is very hurtful to me as an openly gay person,” she said.
Same-sex marriage began in Alabama in February after a US district court judge ruled against the state’s ban on such marriages. Opposition was swift and fervent, with the probate judges refusing to grant the licenses, arguing that they did not have to obey a federal judge’s order.
Then governor Robert Bentley said he would not take action against these judges, allowing for a patchwork of marriage rights in his state.
Same-sex marriage is legal in 37 states and Washington DC. The US supreme court heard oral arguments last week in a consolidated case from four states on whether same-sex marriage bans are unconstitutional. A ruling is expected by late June.
