L*******e
发帖数: 2202 | 1 http://www.hrcbackstory.org/2011/06/rhode-island-civil-unions-b
The Rhode Island Senate is set to vote on and pass a Civil Unions bill (HB
6103) tomorrow, June 29th. The current bill now before the legislature would
create discriminatory hurdles for same-sex couples that no other state has
ever put in place. Many states have sought to secure equality for same-sex
couples while vigilantly maintaining religious liberty protections, but the
religious exemption language in Rhode Island goes too far.
In the recent debate in New York, the legislature struck the right balance,
ending discrimination against same-sex couples in civil marriage, while
reaffirming that clergy and religious entities remain free not to solemnize
any wedding they do not wish to. The Rhode Island bill, however, goes far
beyond this limited and reasonable assurance to allow religious
organizations and their individual employees to completely disregard the
validity of a civil union in any context.
In practical terms, this law would allow religiously affiliated hospitals to
deny a civil union spouse’s right to be by their spouse’s side and make
medical decisions for them, and would allow religiously affiliated agencies
to deny an employee’s right to leave in order to care for their civil union
spouse under Rhode Island Family and Medical Leave.
This is why HRC and Marriage Equality Rhode Island (MERI) are opposed to
this Civil Unions bill, and why we ask that residents of Rhode Island join
us in sending a message to Gov. Chafee and the state legislature that this
bill is not acceptable. | g********d
发帖数: 4174 | 2 Good to know where HRC stands. |
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