FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 3, 2015
LEXINGTON, KY—"Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis is now going to jail because Judge David Bunning is not enforcing Kentucky's Religious Freedom Restoration Act and Gov. Steve Beshear will not sign an executive order," said Martin Cothran, spokesman for The Family Foundation. Davis was ordered to jail today by Judge Bunning on the grounds that she will no longer issue marriage licenses.
"Our public officials are now jailing people in America for exercising their First Amendment religious freedoms. This will not end well," said Cothran.
Cothran said Gov. Beshear vetoed Kentucky's religious freedom law in the 2013 General Assembly session but was overridden by both chambers. "Gov. Beshear has the right to veto a law, but he does not have the right to ignore it when it has been passed, and Judge Bunning has the responsibility to enforce it. They have decided not to do their jobs and Kim Davis is paying the price."
"Legislative leaders of both parties have said that this issue can be easily resolved. All Gov. Beshear has to do to satisfy both sides in this debate is to issue an executive order. He has, by his inaction, precipitated a crisis that didn't need to happen."
Cothran said Kentucky Religious Freedom Restoration Act is being almost completely ignored. "Our law requires the government to prove that it has a compelling interest in overriding someone's religious freedom and to use the least restrictive means in doing so. Neither one of these things have been done."
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1 comment:
Martin,
The state has a compelling interest in providing citizens with equal protection under the law. KRS Chapter 402 already protects Davis' religious freedom. KRS 402.100(1)(c) allows deputy clerks to sign marriage licenses instead of the clerk. Kim Davis doesn't have to even look at same-sex marriage licenses, much less sign them; all she has to do to get out of jail is not interfere with her deputy clerks doing their jobs. The notion that Kim Davis has the religious right to prevent any couple she personally deems unfit to marry from getting a marriage license in Rowan County is beyond ludicrous.
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