Confederate Battle Flag

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the gentleman from Iowa and good friend. I appreciate recognizing my wife in the gallery as well.

I thank the gentleman for yielding time, and I thank him for his leadership on this very important issue.

Mr. Speaker, I stand here today deeply and bitterly disappointed and saddened by the recent actions of five unelected U.S. Supreme Court justices and their decision to defy the will of the American people and disregard the rule of law.

As a strong defender of traditional marriage and State sovereignty, I believe it is absolutely wrong that five unelected members of the U.S. Supreme Court overruled tens of millions of Americans, including many in my home State, the State of Texas, who voted to enact State statutes and State constitutional amendments to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

Under this ruling, five members of the Supreme Court invalidated the votes of over 50 million Americans. That is deeply disturbing and alarming. And the dissenting justices raised this very concern.

Traditional marriage has been under assault as courts and some state legislatures have sought to both redefine marriage as something other than between a man and a woman.

Most seriously, they are now taking action to penalize and discriminate against those who have religious and conscience convictions against the redefinition of marriage.

Over 30 States and tens of millions of Americans acted through the legislative and election process to keep marriage between one man and one woman within their respective States.

Unfortunately, various courts took it upon themselves to sidestep the democratic process and to silence those voices with their reprehensible activist decisions.

By circumventing the votes of American citizens, the Supreme Court's sweeping decision now sets the Government on a collision course with religious freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Americans with religious conviction will now be forced into a position of great uncertainty. If their religious beliefs conflict with same-sex marriage, they may lose their business license and they could be subjected to prosecution or even litigation.

Some are even calling for ending tax exemption status for any church or religious organization that opposes same-sex marriage. This is alarming and it demands action.

We have seen the attacks led by IRS bureaucrats like Lois Lerner on conservative groups in the past, and we can expect the same under these discussions. As elected leaders, we cannot and must not back down.

We have an obligation to fight for the religious protection of our constituencies against such judicial activism and the consequences that will come from it. I have met with local pastors in Texas over the past few weeks, and they are very, very concerned about this ruling.

Congress wants to take immediate action to restore each States' ability to determine their own marriage laws and to protect individuals and institutions with deeply held religious convictions regarding traditional marriage to ensure that they do not face discrimination because of these convictions.

As an unwavering advocate for protecting the traditional marriage, I strongly support and have cosponsored a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

We should also pass the First Amendment Defense Act to protect churches, Christian schools and colleges and business owners from being coerced by the government to act against their religious convictions in regards to acceptance of same-sex marriage.

In the 36th Congressional District of Texas, where I have spent my entire life, people are very distressed over the Supreme Court's redefinition of marriage and its impact on their ability to freely practice their faith. They realize, as do I, that, under the Supreme Court's decision, things are going to get worse as this collision course is set in motion.

We will see more lawsuits spring up that challenge the faith of average American families who hold their beliefs dearly, as well as their churches, schools, and charities.

Under such uncertainty, I stand in strong solidarity with my constituents, our local and State leaders, and the like-minded colleagues that I have had the great privilege of listening to tonight and having your time yielded to me. I serve with you folks in Congress that we will never back down on this issue.

I will work tirelessly on all fronts to defend traditional marriage and the protection of religious liberties granted under our U.S. Constitution.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source