Dear friend,

I’m making an URGENT appeal to you today to contact your U.S. senators as soon as possible to ask them to vote “NO” on H.R. 8404, the mis-named “Respect for Marriage Act,” which is reportedly coming up for a vote either today or tomorrow.

At Focus on the Family, we are concerned that the bill accomplishes the exact opposite of what its name implies. It changes the definition and meaning of marriage and would be nearly impossible to reverse.

The bill already passed the House earlier this summer with all Democrats and some Republicans voting in favor. In the Senate, a vote was postponed until after the midterm elections, and we’ve just received word that Senator Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., has put the bill on a fast-track for a vote either today or tomorrow.

The bill requires 60 votes to advance in the Senate.

H.R. 8404 is a bad bill that not only threatens marriage as we have known it for thousands of years, but it poses a grave danger to religious freedom. It could affect each one of us for generations to come.

H.R. 8404 requires states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states and seeks to codify it into federal law.

It goes far beyond what the U.S. Supreme Court did in 2015 when it decided Obergefell v. Hodges, which invented the “right” to “same-sex marriage.”

If this bill is passed, it could open the door for the federal government to force everyone, including religious organizations, to affirm same-sex marriage, polygamy and more. This Act is an assault on religious freedom and free speech.

This law would lead to costly lawsuits and harassment of millions of Christians, pro-family Americans, and organizations who affirm that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.

Don’t listen to those who tell you that the bill has been “amended” to take care of concerns about polygamy and religious freedom. Our legal friends at Alliance Defending Freedom have explained that the so-called “amendment” being offered does little to allay our concerns.

So here’s what we need you to do: Please contact your senators and respectfully ask them to Vote “NO” on H.R. 8404, the “Respect for Marriage Act.” You can either call their Senate offices directly through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, or you can use the Senate website directory found here.

If you desire more information on H.R. 8404, my colleagues at the Daily Citizen have written about this bill here, here, here, here and here.

Thank you for taking action TODAY!

Sincerely,

Jim Daly
President
Focus on the Family