I Object: The RLUIPA as a Model for Protecting the Conscience Rights of Religious Objectors to Same-Sex Relationships
Erin N. East, 59 Emory L.J. 259 (2009)
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This Comment examines the shortcomings of the United States Supreme Court’s current free exercise jurisprudence as well as current broad-based statutes like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) in protecting religious objectors in the context of same-sex rights. It then proposes a number of possible ways to protect religious objectors, concluding that while state statute-specific exemptions would be a more direct, and perhaps preferred, method of protecting religious objectors, the absence of state solutions and the need to implement a uniform approach to rights of conscience suggest a federal approach. A statute modeled on the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, (RLUIPA) would provide a more comprehensive and balanced approach than the funding legislation that has typically been used by Congress to protect other types of conscience rights. By providing some protection for religious individuals, such a federal conscience statute could lessen the tension between advocates for gay rights and advocates for religious liberty. While this Comment focuses explicitly on certain classes of religious objectors in the context of same-sex rights, the proposed solution could include provisions covering any class of religious objectors.
