Rhode Island Marriage Laws | § 15-3.1-5

State of Rhode Island General Laws 15-3.1-5

Conscience and religious organizations protected.

(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no religious or denominational organization, no organization operated for charitable or educational purpose which is supervised or controlled by or in connection with a religious organization, and no individual employed by any of the foregoing organizations, while acting in the scope of that employment, shall be required: (1) To provide services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or privileges for a purpose related to the solemnization, certification, or celebration of any civil union; or (2) To solemnize or certify any civil union; or (3) To treat as valid any civil union; if such providing, solemnizing, certifying, or treating as valid would cause such organizations or individuals to violate their sincerely held religious beliefs. (b) No organization or individual as described in subsection (a) above who fails or refuses to provide, solemnize, certify, or treat as valid, as described in subdivision (a)(1), (a)(2) or (a)(3) above, persons in a civil union, shall be subject to a fine, penalty, or other cause of action for such failure or refusal.

(P.L. 2011, ch. 198, § 1.)

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§ 15-2-14 Minimum age for marriage license
§ 15-1-3 Incestuous marriages void.
§ 15-1-2 Marrying kindred forbidden.
§ 15-1-1 Equal access to marriage.
§ 15-1-6 Declaration of validity of marriage by divorced person.
§ 15-2-1 License required – Proof of divorce – Obligation of clerk to issue license.
§ 15-2-1.1 Statewide electronic marriage license system.
§ 15-2-3.1 Fetal Alcohol Syndrome warning law.
§ 15-2-8 Period of validity of license – Return if unused.
§ 15-2-9 License fee – Presentation of license to person performing ceremony.
§ 15-2-12 Recording of license information.
§ 15-2-13 Registrar in city of Providence.
§ 15-3-6 Marriages after the manner of Friends, according to Jewish rites, or spiritual assembly of Baha'is.
§ 15-3-7 Presentation of marriage license.
§ 15-3-8 Witnesses to ceremony.
§ 15-3-9 Statement of objections to marriage.
§ 15-3-10 Penalty for marriage without license or despite impediment.
§ 15-3-13 Filing of return of marriage.
§ 15-3-14 Neglect of duty by person performing ceremony.
§ 15-3-15 Marriages valid despite irregularities – Penalty for marriage without compliance.
§ 15-3-16 Solemnization of marriage without authority.
§ 15-3-17 Court orders regarding invalid marriages.
§ 15-3.1-1 Definitions.
§ 15-3.1-2 Eligibility.
§ 15-3.1-5 Conscience and religious organizations protected.
§ 15-3.1-6 Benefits, protections, and responsibilities.
§ 15-3.1-7 References and inclusions.
§ 15-3.1-8 Reciprocity.
§ 15-3.1-9 Dissolution of civil unions.
§ 15-3.1-10 Requirement of department of health – Civil unions.
§ 15-3.1-11 Severability.
§ 15-1-4 Marriages of kindred allowed by Jewish religion.
§ 15-1-5 Bigamous marriages void – Marriage of persons who are mentally incompetent.
§ 15-3-11 Knowingly performing bigamous marriage.
§ 15-1-7 Marriage codification.
§ 15-1-8 Recognition of relationships entered into in another state or jurisdiction.
§ 15-1-9 Applicability of state laws to marriages not recognized by federal law.
§ 15-2-7 Form and contents of certificates, reports, and other returns.
§ 15-2-9.1 Additional fee for family and children trust fund.
§ 15-3-6.1 Protection of freedom of religion in marriage.
§ 15-3-5 Officials empowered to join persons in marriage.
§ 15-3-12 Endorsement and return of license.
§ 15-3.1-12 Merger of civil union into marriage by action of the parties.
§ 15-3.1-13 Recognized date of marriage.