The Roman Catholic bishops balked at the law because its pre-marital counselling included discussion about the logistics of divorce. The bishops refused to support it because they did not want the Catholic clergy to be advising couples that their marriage could end civilly by divorce. The bishops gave their support when the subject of divorce was taken out of the pre-marital counselling. Instead, the revised law instructs couples to obtain a pamphlet provided by the state attorney-general's office and sign an affidavit stating they have read it. The highest form of marriage is an indissoluble bond, which covenant marriage is not.
Covenant marriage is divorceable.
Neither of the civil marriages comes close to our understanding of marriage, which is even higher and more profound. They were attempting to have the state enforce their particular religious doctrines. The First Amendment protects the right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference. By Mr. Stevenson's definition, the name of the bill does itself imply religious origins. The word 'covenant' has religious overtones.