United States Sen. Joni Ernst, who has been censured or formally condemned by seven Iowa GOP county central committees since voting in support of the (Dis)Respect for Marriage Act, told reporters on Monday she is being censured for upholding the status quo on marriage and strengthening religious liberty protections.
That claim is at odds with what conservative family policy advocacy groups have said all along about the (Dis)Respect for Marriage Act.
The bill repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, forces every state to recognize whatever another state may define as “marriage” and puts at jeopardy the religious liberty of ministries and non-profit organizations.
Ernst told reporters she believes the bill does protect religious freedoms and maintains the status quo in Iowa.
It should be noted the “status quo” in Iowa is not what the Republican Party of Iowa platform supports. The platform states:
We believe that traditional, two-parent (one male (XY) and one female (XX)), marriage-based families are the foundation to a stable, enduring, and healthy civilization. We encourage the repeal of any laws allowing any marriage that is not between one natural man and one natural woman.
Ernst said religious liberty is codified by the bill and noted Iowa has recognized homosexual marriage since 2009.
“The vast majority of Iowans, even a majority of Republicans, do support same-sex marriage,” she claimed.
Ernst said the bill does not provide a federal right for same-sex marriage. She added it also does not require religious institutions to recognize same-sex marriage. And it only applies to government actors, not private individuals.
“As I said before, it maintains the status quo in Iowa,” she said. “So what many will feel is the right to do — they will come after me. I know there are a number of efforts to censure me. So what they’re doing is censuring me for maintaining the status quo and actually providing greater religious freedoms for everyone across the United States of America. So, I don’t agree with the censure, but I will say that I stand by my vote. And I hope that more people will actually read the bill and understand we have just improved upon religious liberty protections, not just in Iowa, but across the United States.”
Again, Ernst is not being censured for the religious liberty aspect of the vote — although it certainly warrants concern. Ernst is being censured for voting against this Republican Party of Iowa platform plank:
We believe that traditional, two-parent (one male (XY) and one female (XX)), marriage-based families are the foundation to a stable, enduring, and healthy civilization. We encourage the repeal of any laws allowing any marriage that is not between one natural man and one natural woman.
You can listen to Sen. Ernst’s explanation here:
Joni has lost my vote and i will support and vote for the person runs against her in the primary. She has ignored her voters and the platform
Sen. Ernist wishes her detractors would read the bill. I wish she would read the Bible. Study the Bible. Know the Bible and most importantly live by the Bible. Her vote on this issue clearly demonstrates she does not want to live by the Bible. I hope she gets pressed on this aspect by her detractors.
We all know how upset Jesus was when he confronted the money changers in the temple. We can only imagine how upset he would have been if a same-sex marriage was taking place instead.