CHAPLAIN ALLIANCE FOR RELIGIOUS LIBERTY February 21, 2012 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact CHAPLAIN ENDORSERS at info@chaplainalliance.org or call (571) 293-2427
Chaplains object to DOJ decision
to not defend DOMA for service members
WASHINGTON — Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty, acting on behalf of more than half of America’s uniformed chaplains, expressed concern Tuesday about the U.S. Department of Justice’s refusal to defend the Department of Defense against a lawsuit concerning benefits for same-sex couples in the military.
“This is another example of the hypocrisy of this administration,” said CH (COL) (Retired) Ron Crews, an Army chaplain who served 28 years and is now executive director for Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty. “During the debate over the proposed repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ the Pentagon told chaplain endorsers that the Defense of Marriage Act was the law of the land and that all military policies would be guided by DOMA. It was only after the vote in Congress that the president announced that his administration would no longer defend DOMA, and now he is announcing that DOJ will not defend DOMA in the military.”
“We fully expect the House of Representatives to undertake the defense of DOMA in this lawsuit, just as it has done in every other lawsuit challenging DOMA,” Crews added.
Chaplain Alliance for Religious Liberty is an organization of chaplain endorsers, the faith groups that provide chaplains for the U.S. military and other agencies needing chaplains. The endorsers in Chaplain Alliance speak for more than 2,600 chaplains serving the Armed Forces.
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