A Florida House panel on Wednesday approved legislation aimed at shielding churches and clergy members from lawsuits stemming from their refusal to conduct same-sex marriage ceremonies.
Dubbed the 'Pastor Protection Act', HB 43 has its roots in a petition drive organized by Chris Walker, a pastor at Cathedral of Power International Church in Clermont, in the wake of last summer's U.S. Supreme Court ruling codifying same-sex marriage. Walker testified in support of the legislation at Wednesday's House Civil Justice Subcommittee hearing.
"They have their right to be married, and that's fine, to have their license to play house, but we're going to preach the Bible, and we're not going to be held accountable for preaching the truth, because truth is now the new terrorism," Walker said of his faith-based opposition to same-sex marriage.
Opponents of the legislation note that religious institutions already enjoy Constitutional protections that allow them to refuse to conduct ceremonies that violate their beliefs. They call the measure a politically-motivated reaction to the legalization of same-sex marriage.
"The Constitution lets us preside over ceremonies or not preside over ceremonies as we see fit, according to our conscience and our religious beliefs, so an extra bill doesn't add anything and it just fosters a lot of confusion and fear amongst people," said Pastor Paul Gibson of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in St. Petersburg.
The legislation would have to receive a favorable vote by the House Judiciary Committee in order to be voted on by the full chamber. The Senate version of the bill, which has yet to receive a hearing, would have to clear three committees to be brought up for a vote.