Respect for Marriage Act passes the U.S. House. How Utah representatives voted
The Respect for Marriage Act passed the U.S. House today with bipartisan support. Three of Utah’s delegation voted in favor of the bill, and Burgess Owens voted “present.” The bill is now headed to President Joe Biden’s desk. He has championed the bill and is expected to sign it into law.
In a statement, Rep. Chris Stewart said he “proudly” voted for the bill in July and was proud again to vote in favor of “protecting our LGBTQ and religious friends and neighbors.”
“As a man of faith and a conservative, ensuring the religious liberties of people in Utah is absolutely essential. This bill not only guarantees that protection, but simultaneously expands the rights of those in the LGBTQ community,” Stewart wrote. “The alternative to this bipartisan solution – the Equality Act – is hostile to religious liberty and would exact a heavy toll on religious Americans. Additionally, same-sex marriage is already legal in the United States, and the Respect for Marriage Act did not change that. It simply expands current religious freedoms and LGBTQ civil rights.”
“Civil rights are not a finite resource; we do not have to take from one group to give to another. The intent of our forefathers in the Constitution was to strike a balance that protects fundamental religious beliefs with individual liberties. I believe this bipartisan legislation effectively does just that,” Stewart concluded.
Rep. Burgess Owens, who voted for the bill in July, called his “present” vote a “beacon.”
“While today is undoubtedly a giant step toward religious liberty, my lone ‘present’ vote signals a warning beacon that the war is far from won,” Owens said. “Religious freedom cannot prevail until and unless individuals and small business owners practicing their sincere religious beliefs have explicit protection under the law. By protecting churches and religious organizations, we are only scratching the surface of the full scope of our First Amendment rights.”
Rep. Blake Moore released a statement after the vote.
“Today, I voted for the Respect for Marriage Act with strengthened religious freedom protections. The Supreme Court has already required all states to recognize same-sex marriages. It is my personal religious belief that marriage is between a man and a woman, but our nation must see that Congress is capable of coming together to overcome our differences in a way that respects our sincerely held beliefs. As The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints states, we must uphold religious freedom protections while respecting the right to same-sex marriage,” Moore said.
Rep. John Curtis said the majority opinion of the Supreme Court “clearly stated” that the court has no intention of reversing any decisions respecting the right to marriage in the Constitution.
“That said, I am proud to have voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act that codifies these protections which are important to many Utahns,” he said in a statement.
