Share with Friends | December 01, 2009 | Permalink D.C. Council Proposes "Marriage" FRC's Pierre Bynum and Peter Sprigg joined my friend, Bishop Harry Jackson, at the D.C. City Council meeting this morning, at which the Council voted overwhelmingly (11-2) to allow homosexual unions, inching the District closer to issuing same-sex "marriage" licenses by next year. Some Council members proudly recounted the various steps, from repeal of sodomy laws to adoption of domestic partnerships, which led to this day--unintentionally confirming "slippery slope" arguments against incremental "homosexual rights" legislation. Councilman Jack Evans even cited "condom distribution" and "needle exchange" among these pioneering policies--ironically demonstrating the very health risks which make homosexual conduct something to be discouraged, not celebrated. Final passage of the bill is scheduled for December 15, and Mayor Adrian Fenty has pledged to sign it. The legislation would then head to Congress, where House members would have 30 days to overturn it. While Congress considers its options, the coalition at Stand4MarriageDC is attacking the bill from another angle--the courtroom. Bishop Harry Jackson and his team have filed suit against the D.C. Board of Elections for blocking a ballot initiative on marriage. Considering the objections of the Catholic Church, the City Council will have to decide how much it's willing to sacrifice to advance the homosexual community's agenda. Unless the Council makes significant changes to the bill by adding religious exemptions, the Catholic Archdiocese of D.C. has said it will no longer contract with the city for certain services--particularly if its charities would be forced to extend employee benefits to same-sex "spouses." Catholic Charities currently operates more than 60 programs for D.C.'s underprivileged. That translates to 68,000 people served each year--a third of which are homeless! As Ryan Messmore pointed out in a great op-ed in yesterday's Examiner, Catholic Charities would be put in the position of violating the law or its faith. Still, none of this seems to matter to the City Council, which is more than willing to hurt anyone in its morally-relative path--including D.C.'s neediest. A Fact a Day Keeps ObamaCare Away... That was then... "For those who have insurance now, nothing will change under the Obama plan- except that you will pay less. Obama's plan will save a typical family up to $2,500 on premiums by bringing the health care system into the 21st century..." ("Background Questions and Answers on Health Care Plan," http://www.barackobama.com/)
This is now... "Average premiums per policy in the non-group market would in 2016 be roughly $5,800 for single policies and $15,200 for family policies under the proposal, compared with roughly $5,500 for single policies and $13,100 for family policies under current law." (Letter to the Honorable Evan Bayh, Congressional Budget Office, 11/30/2009) According to the CBO analysis, once the bill's programs were fully implemented (which doesn't actually occur till 2016) people buying insurance plans individually on the exchange would pay 10 to 13 percent more per person than under current law. Conservatives Take Manhattan As I mentioned in the Update right before Thanksgiving, I joined a diverse group of Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox leaders in releasing what is one of the most important statements of Christian doctrine issued in decades--the Manhattan Declaration. The nine-page document articulates 2,000 years of Christian moral and social teaching on the dignity of human life, the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman, and the imperative of religious liberty in a just society. The interest that the statement has generated underscores the need for such a clarion call to Christian orthodoxy. The call has not been without its dissenters.
Today the Los Angeles Times took a shot at the signers, claiming that we're issuing a dangerous call to civil disobedience. I find it amazing that the media has seized on this one area of the Declaration. Who will Christians ultimately submit to--God or the government of man? Our hope is that America follows the historic tradition of submitting to both God and government. John Adams once called this union, "The highest glory of the American Revolution" because "it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." The goal of the Manhattan Declaration is to affirm that bond. Unfortunately, the agenda that the Left is pushing has set a course for moral conflict, and it will all unravel if millions of Americans will not blindly follow. To join us in this bold and timely declaration, click here. 
| |