, Columnist
Beto O’Rourke’s Bad Idea to Punish Conservative Churches
He would end tax exemptions for contributions to religious institutions that ban same-sex weddings. What is he thinking?
No tax deduction for donors?
Photographer: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images
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Beto O’Rourke has a terrible idea. The Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman wants the U.S. government to take away the tax-exempt status of religious organizations — including churches and mosques — that oppose same-sex marriage.
When asked about this last week, O’Rourke said: "There can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break for anyone or any institution or organization in America that denies the full human rights, and the full civil rights, of everyone in America.”