I am pretty sure that the Roberts Court majority will vote to allow discrimination across the country for Christian Beliefs Only. Scalia said that brown people attempting to vote is a Racist Entitlement that has to be done away with.
“The Religious Freedom Act,” a bill created in response to the Affordable Care Act’s birth control coverage mandate, cleared Kentucky’s Senate Thursday night despite activists’ warning that it could topple years of civil rights progress in the state and “make discrimination legal.”
“[The] legislation could be used by an individual or entity under the
guise of a ‘sincerely held religious belief’ to violate the
constitutional and civil rights of other persons or organizations,” the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights warned on Tuesday.
“In other words, it could make discrimination legal if the
discrimination perpetrated is claimed to be due to ‘a sincerely held
religious belief.’”
Despite the potential for abuse, state senators advanced House Bill 279 Thursday night by a vote of 29-6, leaving its fate in the hands of Gov. Steve Beshear (D).
Here's the fun part: it's not just birth control you can object to. It's basically anything.
If it does become law, Kentucky’s “Religious Freedom Act” could enable
discrimination against more than just women seeking birth control. Civil
rights advocates worry that landlords and employers could also use the
law to justify discriminating against LGBT people and minorities as
well, all in the name of “religious freedom.”
Or women. Or other religions. Or people who are overweight. Or people who are short. Or people who have kids. How can you prove that the fact you hate LGBT people isn't a deeply held religious belief? For a non-trivial number of Kentuckians, that's what they say they absolutely believe in. I'm really hoping Dinosaur Steve can send this law packing, but given the massive vote totals in favor of the bill (82-7 in the state House, and 29-6 in the state Senate), a veto override is pretty much assured.
That leaves a court challenge to the bill. I'm hoping we get it sooner rather than later, because the law is pretty much in direct violation of several Supreme Court rulings on religious freedom.
A big clue could be the SCOTUS ruling on DOMA. If the court decides that states do have the right to make their own decisions on discrimination, all bets are off.
1 Comment
Close this window Jump to comment formI am pretty sure that the Roberts Court majority will vote to allow discrimination across the country for Christian Beliefs Only. Scalia said that brown people attempting to vote is a Racist Entitlement that has to be done away with.
March 10, 2013 at 8:30 PM