The Heritage Foundation is launching a $1 million ad campaign against a bill that would codify same-sex marriage protections, saying the legislation needs stronger religious liberty protections.
Ads from the conservative think tank will run during NFL and college games on Thanksgiving weekend ahead of a Senate vote on Monday, according to Fox News.
“America’s religious liberty is under attack with this impending vote in the Senate,” Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts told the outlet. “This legislation does not add one additional benefit to same-sex couples in the United States; it’s an attack that sets the stage to take rights away from people of faith.”
Democrats and Republicans who voted to advance the Respect for Marriage Act are worried the Supreme Court will strip away the right to same-sex marriage enshrined in a 2015 landmark ruling that made it lawful nationwide. The court’s decision to overturn the broad right to abortion in Roe v. Wade made them skittish.
Conservatives say the bill’s protections for religious groups are anemic. They say organizations that only see marriage as a union between a man and a woman will be subject to attacks from activists and the IRS may strip them of tax-exempt status.
Sen. Mike Lee, Utah Republican, is pushing an amendment to bolster religious protections, but he’s been unsuccessful.
The Heritage ads will run during NFL Thanksgiving games between the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions, and New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, Fox reports. They will also air during college football rivalry games in the Midwest.