A town clerk in Broome County is stepping down, saying that she could not enforce the state’s new same-sex marriage law, which takes effect July 24.

Her resignation letter, posted on the website for New Yorkers For Constitutional Freedoms, the organization that lobbied against the bill, Baker Town Clerk Laura L. Fotusky writes that “there is a higher law than the law of the land. It is the law of God in the Bible.”

From her letter:

“I would be compromising my moral conscience if I participated in the licensing procedure. Therefore, I will be resigning as of July 21. I wanted you to know my position as I understand the marriage law goes into effect on July 24.”

Earlier this month, a town clerk in tiny Volney, Oswego County, said she could not provide marriage certificates to same-sex couples. That brought a rebuke from Sen. David Carlucci, who said elected officials must enforce the law.

The state’s same-sex marriage law, approved on June 25, includes carve-outs for religious institutions and organizations. The amendment was a key provision for the measure’s introduction and passage in the Republican-led Senate. Four GOP lawmakers joined in voting yes on the bill.

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