The conservative Heritage Foundation think tank will reportedly air ads during NFL and college football games on Thanksgiving Day and through the weekend that attack the same-sex marriage bill moving through Congress with misleading claims the “far left” legislation will “expose religious schools and nonprofits to lawsuits,” falsehoods that parrot misinformation shared on social media in recent days.
The ads, first reported on by Fox News, claim “liberals are hurrying to cram through their far-left agenda” by “sneaking in” the same-sex marriage bill that would codify rights of same-sex married couples.
Democrats, and the 12 Republican senators who voted in favor of the bill last week, have been vocal about their plans, which have been in the works since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas suggested in an opinion that rulings granting rights to same-sex marriage and access to birth control should come under review.
Heritage alleges the legislation would subject religious organizations and schools to “attacks from the IRS” and potentially force them to “close their doors,” repeating false claims spread on social media that the legislation would threaten the tax-exempt status of nonprofits that don’t believe in same-sex marriage.
But the “Respect for Marriage Act” was amended to include language that states religious organizations that oppose same-sex marriage will not lose their tax-exempt status.
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