ATLANTA — A top-ranking Republican leader wants to make clear that Georgia clergy can refuse to perform gay marriages, a protection they already enjoy under the U.S. Constitution. The proposal from House Speaker David Ralston, a Republican lawyer from Blue Ridge, would amount to more of a political statement than a legal change. The wording he proposed would make clear that the government cannot force a clergy member to solemnize any marriage in violation of the clergy person's religious beliefs.
GOP proposes protections for clergy on gay marriage
Proposal would make clear right of refusal for ministers