House Bill 2453 protects religious individuals, groups and businesses that refuse to serve same-sex couples, especially those looking to get married. It already passed in the state's House and has moved into the Senate to be voted on. Its purpose is to prevent people from being sued for not recognizing that their marriages are valid. Ironically, the state's governor praised the bill by saying "Americans have constitutional rights, among them the right to exercise their religious beliefs and the right for every human life to be treated with respect and dignity," when in fact this is injuring the right of same-sex couples to be treated with respect and dignity. It could even allow an adoption agency to refuse to let them adopt. However, if an employee at a government or nonreligious agency refuses to serve them for religious reasons, then the manager has to find an employee who will serve them.
This is very disappointing. It really does seem unnecessary since same-sex marriage is already illegal in that state. Many other states have recently passed laws that approve same-sex marriage, but it seems that more conservative states like Kansas will not. This is a setback for anyone who believes in equality for all people. I can see why the people would want to be protected from being sued, but it is not fair to same-sex couples at all. They deserve to be treated the same as everyone else, and to be served like everyone else. The right to be treated with "respect and dignity" should not be reserved for only straight couples.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/13/us/kansas-bill-same-sex-services/index.html?hpt=us_c2
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