Sacrificing for Religious Liberty: Same-Sex Marriage in Washington, D.C.
Chuck Donovan /
With the decision by U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to deny a stay requested by proponents of traditional marriage, the District of Columbia’s same-sex marriage law takes effect today. Anticipating that event, the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington took another step to comply with the law’s terms this past Monday. Rather than begin to offer spousal health insurance benefits to the partners of any homosexual employees of Catholic Charities, the Diocese has chosen to end such benefits for all new employees, effective today. The benefits will also cease to be available to the spouse of any current employee who had not already elected the coverage.
One District official who had previously clashed with the Diocese over its decision to seek a robust religious exemption from the same-sex marriage law seems unfazed by the Catholic Church’s new decision. D.C. Council member Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), who voted for same-sex marriage, said “Catholic Charities is a private, nonprofit corporation. They can choose to provide benefits to families and spouses or not.”
This outcome protects the right of the Archdiocese of Washington to preserve a policy it views as central to its character and mission. Marriage in the Catholic view represents “the covenant of conjugal love freely and consciously chosen, whereby man and woman accept the intimate community of life and love willed by God Himself.” (more…)