Conservatives Pledge To Defy Any Marriage Equality Ruling The Supreme Court Reaches

The Supreme Court has yet to announce its decision on the two gay marriage cases. However, that has not stopped conservatives from pledging to defy marriage equality, if the high court makes a pro-LGBT decision.

In a letter released Thursday, more than 200 conservative activists -- ranging from the Catholic League’s Bill Donohue to Oklahoma State Rep. Sally Kern (R) -- vowed to ignore any ruling in favor of same-sex couples. The group of endorsers, signing under the moniker of Freedom Federation, is composed of anti-LGBT Christian conservatives, many of whom have fallen from prominence in recent years.

"We stand together as Christians in defense of marriage and the family and society founded upon them," the letter reads.

Liberty Counsel head Mat Staver and Deacon Keith Fournier, the editor-in-chief of Catholic Online, drafted the "Marriage Solidarity Statement" that attacks marriage equality by invoking "Natural Moral Law" and questioning the authority of the Supreme Court.

"This Natural Moral Law gives us the norms we need to build truly human and humane societies and govern ourselves. It should also inform our positive law or we will become lawless and devolve into anarchy," the statement warns. "Redefining the very institution of marriage is improper and outside the authority of the State. The Supreme Court has no authority to redefine marriage."

While the letter ends with a vague threat that the signers must draw a line on the definition of marriage and will not cross it, the statement does not specify what the Freedom Federation intends to do if the Supreme Court rules in favor of marriage equality.

Raw Story makes a good point, writing: "What, exactly, they intend to do is unclear, since their churches presumably do not perform same sex unions, and because they themselves do not work in the wedding business or grant marriage licenses."

The Supreme Court is expected to release its decision on the two marriage equality cases, Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor, sometime next week. The former questions whether California's Proposition 8 violated the constitution, while the later challenges the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act's definition of marriage.

Though an online HuffPost/YouGov survey conducted earlier this month indicated that Americans are sharply divided on whether the court should overturn DOMA, another poll released by Pew Research revealed that 72 percent of Americans say the recognition of same-sex marriage is "inevitable."

Click over to Liberty Counsel to read the full letter.

Original Article
Source: huffingtonpost.com
Author: Sara Gates