The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the following statement on Tuesday, November 15, 2022.
The doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints related to marriage between a man and a woman is well-known and will remain unchanged.
We are grateful for the continuing efforts of those who work to ensure the Respect for Marriage Act includes appropriate religious freedom protections while respecting the law and preserving the rights of our LGBTQ brothers and sisters.
We believe this approach is the way forward. As we work together to preserve the principles and practices of religious freedom together with the rights of LGBTQ individuals, much can be accomplished to heal relationships and foster greater understanding.
The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA) seeks to require the federal government to recognize the validity of interracial and same-sex marriages in the United States. In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled all states had to recognize same-sex marriages.
That decision was questioned this year after the Supreme Court determined the Constitution of the United States did not protect the right to abortions and Justice Clarence Thomas argued the 2015 decision should be reconsidered. As the 2022 midterm elections come to a close, the United States Senate is expected to vote on the RFMA this week after reaching a bipartisan deal.
Part of this deal announced on November 14, 2022, included amended language for religious protections and a clarification that the bill did not legalize polygamy.
You can read the full text of the bill, as introduced in the Senate on July 21, 2022, here.
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