NC Gov. Tells State Employees To Violate Consciences Or Quit

Gov. PatMcCrory vetoes a bill allowing civil magistrates to recuse themselves from performing all marriages if their religion prohibits same-sex unions.

After the North Carolina House of Representatives passed a bill allowing magistrates and clerks to recuse themselves from performing all marriages due to religious objections to same-sex marriage, Republican Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed it, claiming to defend the Constitution.

“I recognize that for many North Carolinians, including myself, opinions on same-sex marriage come from sincerely held religious beliefs that marriage is between a man and a woman. However, we are a nation and a state of laws. Whether it is the president, governor, mayor, a law enforcement officer, or magistrate, no public official who voluntarily swears to support and defend the Constitution and to discharge all duties of their office should be exempt from upholding that oath; therefore, I will veto Senate Bill 2.”

So, according to the governor, oaths are absolute. This, however, doesn’t wash with current law, which requires accommodations for government employees who have religious objections to certain duties. According to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Title VII, employers are to reasonably accommodate an employee’s or prospective employee’s religious observance or practice if it does not generate undue hardship for the employer’s business.

Source: NC Gov. Tells State Employees To Violate Consciences Or Quit