23 September 2013

Majority Leader says Illinois should approve same-sex "marrige" to boost economy

In a letter to the members of the Illinois House of Representatives, Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) urged House of Representatives to pass the so-called Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act because Illinois should not miss this opportunity for economic growth, according to the Quad City Times.  What happened to the calls for fairness and equality?

I have been unable to locate a copy of the letter and most news reports are identical and do not provide substantive quotes, but WISTV reports that the Majority Leader sees in the debate surrounding same-sex "marriage" "an economic component that we cannot ignore."

The State Journal-Register reports that the Majority Leader also said that everyone should have the right to demonstrate their love.  Leaving aside the obvious point that demonstrations of love are not reserved for marriage, one wonders, then, why the RFMFA forbids certain people of the same sex from marrying each other.  One might also wonder why three people could not enter a marriage.

Some will likely say nothing in the proposed legislation would legalize incest or polygamy, but the trajectory of her thoughts easily head in these directions.  If marriage is only about the economy and demonstrations of love, where does it stop?

With the possibility of the RFMFA being called to a vote in the House looming in the near future, it is encouraging that the proposed legislation may still be ten votes short for passage.  Even so, we cannot simply sit by.  Please, contact your Representative and urge him to vote against the bill, remind her of the lies that were told before the passage of the Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Union bill, and of the real dangers the RFMFA poses to religious freedom.

Remember the recent words of Pope Francis:
None of us can say, "I have nothing to do with this, they govern. . . ." No, no, I am responsible for their governance, and I have to do the best so that they govern well, and I have to do my best by participating in politics according to my ability. Politics, according to the Social Doctrine of the Church, is one of the highest forms of charity, because it serves the common good. I cannot wash my hands, eh? We all have to give something!
We must act!

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