‘Dismantling the traditional family’: Hartzler gives tearful address opposing same-sex marriage act

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A week after advancing through the Senate, the U.S. House approved the Respect for Marriage Act. The bill heads to President Biden’s desk, where he is expected to sign the legislation, which requires all states to recognize same-sex marriages.

Democrats moved the bill quickly through the House and Senate after the Supreme Court’s June decision that overturned abortion as a federal right. That ruling included a concurring opinion from Justice Clarence Thomas that suggested the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage could also be reconsidered.

U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Missouri) has long been outspoken as a proponent of marriage solely being between a man and a woman. She spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives prior to Thursday’s vote, begging her colleagues to vote against the measure.

It ended in tears.

The text of her speech is below:

“This hollow amendment provides no tangible protections for religious schools. No protections for faith-based adoption or foster care agencies. No protections for Christian businesses who contract with the government. And no protections for civil servants that justly believe marriage is between a man and a woman.

“The bill’s implications: submit to our ideology or be silenced.

“This is yet another step toward the Democrats’ goal of dismantling the traditional family, silencing voices of faith and permanently undoing our country’s God-woven foundation. This is the Democrats’ priority.

“Well, Mr. Speaker, I’ll tell you my priorities. Protect religious liberty, protect people of faith and protect Americans who believe in the true meaning of marriage.

“I hope and pray that my colleagues will find the courage to join me in opposing this misguided and dangerous bill.”

Hartzler’s run representing Missouri’s 4th Congressional District is coming to an end in January. The Congresswoman lost in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, a race ultimately won by Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt.

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