Franklin Graham Denounces Calif. Bill Calling on Removal of 'Husband' and 'Wife'

Evangelical pastor Franklin Graham has spoken out against a California bill that seeks to eliminate the terms "husband" and "wife" from federal laws, instead replacing them with a gender-neutral term such as "spouse."

Graham took to his Facebook page on Tuesday to voice his opposition to the legislation, which is being pushed by California's democratic Rep. Lois Capps.

"Where will the assault on biblical marriage end?" Graham wrote in a Facebook comment on Tuesday.

"They say these are 'gendered terms' that discriminate against homosexuals. You're absolutely right they are gendered terms— because marriage was created to be gendered! The One who created marriage defined it as between a man and a woman," he continued.

"They have already succeeded in deleting husband and wife from California law last year, now they want to take it to the national level. This is shameful! Call your representatives in Congress and the Senate to let them know that you oppose the 'Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act," Graham added.

Rep. Capps, who is the author of the bill, said in a statement that the purpose of the legislation is to eliminate prejudice on a federal level.

"The Amend the Code for Marriage Equality Act recognizes that the words in our laws have meaning and can continue to reflect prejudice and discrimination even when rendered null by our highest courts," Capps said. "Our values as a country are reflected in our laws. I authored this bill because it is imperative that our federal code reflect the equality of all marriages."