 In 2019, Father Martin criticized the public denials of Holy Communion to several lawmakers, including Joe Biden, based on their support for abortion rights, and to a woman who had contracted a same-sex civil marriage in the Diocese of Grand Rapids.Martin wrote in a tweet that denying Communion to politicians was a "bad idea" because in this case one "must also deny it to those who support the death penalty".Several Catholic authors and priests criticized Martin's interpretation of canon 915 which forbids the administration of Holy Communion to those who persist in manifest grave sin.