Woman with three divorces and four kids out of wedlock is trying to overturn same-sex marriage ruling
Questions have been raised regarding the moral stance of a Kentucky woman who is fighting to have the legalisation of same-sex marriage overturned in the United States.
Kim Davis, a former Rowan County Clerk and mother-of-four, hit headlines earlier this month after filing an appeal to the country's Supreme Court making such a request.
Her controversial demand comes a decade after she was jailed for a period of five days for refusing to issue a gay couple a marriage licence on the grounds of religion.
That same year, the High Court's issued a ruling in the landmark Obergefell v Hodges case, which guaranteed homosexual couples the fundamental right to marriage in America - especially, legalising the process.
What are Davis' new demands?
Speaking to press after being sentenced 10 years ago, Davis said in a statement: "I have no animosity toward anyone and harbour no ill will.
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"To me this has never been a gay or lesbian issue. It is about marriage and God's word."
As we say, however, Davis has now called upon the US Supreme Court for intervention, with plans to sue for $100,000 in emotional damages - as well as $260,000 for legal fees - following her short stint behind bars.
Her official appeal simultaneously brands the High Court's legalisation of homosexual marriage as 'egregiously wrong', and demands for the ruling to be overturned.
As such, if the Supreme Court agree to take on Davis' unprecedented case, they'll be forced to do so in its entirety, which could see the possibility of gay marriage once again being outlawed in the States.
Unsurprisingly, the appeal has triggered uproar across the country amongst thousands of Americans, all of whom are desperately hoping judges will throw out the case.
Amongst the outrage, a number of critics have stumbled on something they've described as hypocrisy on Davis' part, discovering that - despite her onus on the notion of 'God's authority' - she is not only divorced, but bore her four children outside of marriage.
Background check
Whilst we're certainly not here to judge Davis' on her personal escapades, it is worth noting that she has been married four times, to three husbands.
She is the mother to two daughters from her first marriage, as well as twins - a son and a daughter - to another man (who later become her third husband), whilst she was technically still married to her first, though separated.
Her current husband, is also her second husband, with the pair having split and later remarried.
Davis' religious views explained
What a number of critics have pointed out, however, is that Davis has explicitly stated on numerous occasions that she belongs to the Christian Apostolic Pentecostal movement, which favours a pretty literal interpretation of the Bible.
She also told The Christian Post in 2016 that she believes both the Bible and the 'word of God' to be 'infallible' - meaning she believes that when it written about faith and Christian practice is wholly useful and true.
Unsurprisingly, therefore, her views on same-sex marriage stem from the Bible's clear stance that homosexuality is a sin. Her views on marriage, similarly, also comes from Genesis 2:24, which states that marriage is a sacred union between one man and one woman.
Discussing these views after being jailed, Davis said in a statement: "To issue a marriage license which conflicts with God’s definition of marriage, with my name affixed to the certificate, would violate my conscience.
"It is not a light issue for me. It is a Heaven or Hell decision.
She continued: "I was elected by the people to serve as the County Clerk. I intend to continue to serve the people of Rowan County, but I cannot violate my conscience."
The contradiction people are pointing out
What many critics have taken issue with, however, is that the Bible explicitly teaches that both divorce, and having children outside the sanctity of marriage, are frowned upon by God.
Luke 16:18 teaches, for example: "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery."
Similar passages also allude to condemnation for any child conceived outside of the bounds of marriage.
Therefore, as we say, Davis has been accused of somewhat sporadically 'picking and choosing' which aspects of 'God's authority' the wishes to stand by.
Taking to Reddit, one critic pointed out this supposed contradiction: "For someone that says they really value the sanctity of marriage, she really has proven that she knows how to end a marriage but now wants to do the same for others."
Another wrote: "Bro.. five months after the divorce? Lol, she couldn't even wait for the papers to be finalised before getting back on the horse. What a wild thing to do if you want to 'Protect the sanctity of marriage'.
"People like this seemingly have no sense of self-awareness."
A third pointed out: "Cries about the sanctity of marriage, yet defiles the very meaning they placed on it, not once but thrice."
What has the legal system said about Davis' latest appeal?
A federal appeals court panel earlier this year ruled that Davis 'cannot raise the First Amendment as a defense because she is being held liable for state action, which the First Amendment does not protect'.
William Powell, a lawyer for the Kentucky couple whose marriage licence Davis refused 10 years ago, also told ABC in a new statement: "Not a single judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals showed any interest in Davis's rehearing petition.
"And we are confident the Supreme Court will likewise agree that Davis's arguments do not merit further attention."
Topics: LGBTQ, News, Politics, US News, Parenting, Sex and Relationships
Rhianna Benson