In this issue:
- The Fight to Defend Marriage Now is Fully Joined!
- Now That the Fight Has Truly Begun in Earnest, We Especially Need Your Financial Support.
- If You Live in One of These States, Please Call Your Senator!
- President Bush Devotes Weekly Marriage Address to Defending Marriage
- Harvard Law Review Analysis:the Federal DOMA is Unconstitutional
- Other News Items of Interest
The Fight to Defend Marriage Now is Joined!
Dear Reader,
The first congressional battle has now begun in what will no
doubt be a long fight to defend marriage and the family in the
United States. The Senate is currently debating the Federal
Marriage Amendment (FMA) and is expected to vote on Wednesday,
July 14th. The FMA will require a two thirds vote, or the concurrence
of 67 Senators, to pass.
Will the amendment pass this time? Probably not. But the operative phrase is “this time.” A two thirds vote is a difficult margin to achieve in the current Senate on anything even remotely controversial. The FMA is very controversial. Wednesday is not the end of the fight. Wednesday merely marks the official start of the amendment process.
So, if the FMA falls short of 67 votes on Wednesday, should those who support marriage and the family be discouraged? Absolutely not.
The fact that the FMA is even coming to a vote before the November elections is a tremendous step forward in the fight to defend marriage and the family. This vote – whatever its outcome – will contribute to our ultimate success in several important ways.
First, the vote will force all Senators to take a position, something a surprisingly large number are still reluctant to do. Teams of United Families International/Defend Marriage staff and volunteers were in Washington last week lobbying in support of the amendment. They report that perhaps two dozen senators are still either undecided or have not yet taken a firm position on the amendment.
With the understanding that any list is constantly subject to change, we list those senators whom we think still need to hear from their constituents. If one or both of your Senators are on this list and you have not yet contacted them, please call their office and tell their staff (or leave a message) that you want them to vote for the Federal Marriage Amendment. At this point, only calls to their Washington offices will have any impact since the vote is coming up quickly—but these calls are definitely worth making!
Second, the Senate debate will begin to bring into the open the many misleading and often dishonest arguments made by those who oppose the FMA. Once these assertions are out in the open, we can more easily refute and expose them. Much of the case being made against the amendment is circulating in the shadows (for good reason!). The public debate, therefore, is a valuable opportunity. We have posted several items on our Web site that are being provided to Senators to deal with the misinformation campaign of our opponents.
Third, and finally, the extensive media coverage of this Senate debate will further educate the overwhelming majority of Americans who are opposed to same-sex “marriage.” The debate will inform these Americans regarding the social dangers of our present course. It will also inform them of the need to act in order to prevent activist judges from ignoring the plain text of the United States Constitution. The more educated Americans become, the more pressure they will place on their Senators, Representatives and state legislators to amend the Constitution.
For those of you who are interested, we are posting a daily summary of the debate in the Senate on our Web site. You can also read the transcript of the actual debate each day by going to the Library of Congress Web site and clicking on the “This Congress by Date” feature under “Congressional Record,” choosing the date you want and the “Senate” section, and then opening the items dealing with the marriage amendment.
The Senate debate has already raised a number of absurd contentions. One of the most absurd, however, is the argument that focusing on the future of marriage and the family is a diversion of national attention from the “more important” issues – such as crime, poor education or the economy. In truth, however, preserving marriage and strong families is the most important issue facing this nation because marriage and family are the essential foundation of a strong and resilient society.
The unbroken history of human experience teaches a vital lesson: if we protect marriage and the family, our Nation will be able to deal more effectively with whatever problems the present and future bring. But, if this generation undermines marriage and the family, our social ills – those purportedly “more important” issues – will soon overwhelm us.
There is much yet to do. But, win or lose on Wednesday, we are making progress in this vitally important effort.
Sincerely,
Richard G. Wilkins
Chairman
Now That the Fight Has Truly Begun in Earnest, We Especially Need Your Financial Support!
Now that the fight to defend marriage and the family has entered a new and critical stage, we especially need your financial support. Just one of the homosexual activist groups has now launched the second phase of a multimillion dollar advertising campaign to sway public opinion nationally against a constitutional amendment. All of these groups understand that this is the showdown battle for them and they are pouring money into the fight.
Please consider making as generous a contribution as you can to defend marriage and the family. Defend Marriage is a project of United Families International (UFI), a 501 (c )(3) organization, so your contribution is tax deductible.
If you would like to designate your contribution to UFI to go entirely to the Defend Marriage Project, you can easily do so by making a contribution that ends with 4 cents, i.e. $25.04, $173.04, $1,000,000.04 and so on. That will automatically flag it to be applied entirely to Defend Marriage. You can easily and securely make a contribution online or print out a form to mail in a contribution. Thank you in advance for your generous support!
If You Live in One of These States, Please Call Your Senator!
The following senators appear to be undecided on how they will vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment or can be persuaded to vote for it if they hear from enough of their constituents. If one of both your senators are listed here, please call their Washington office at the number listed and tell the staff person who answers the phone (or leave a message after hours) that you want your senator to vote for the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Be sure to identify yourself as a constituent. We suggest that you leave your name and address and ask for your senator to tell you how he or she votes and, if they vote against the amendment, tell you why they did.
Time is short. The vote is expected on Wednesday, July 14th, so you will need to call before then.
Alaska Sen. Murkowski – 202-224-6665 Arizona Sen. McCain – 202-224-2235 Arkansas Sen. Lincoln – 202-224-4843 Colorado Sen. Campbell – 202-224-5852 Indiana Sen. Bayh – 202-224-5623 |
Louisiana Sen. Breaux – 202-224-4623 Maine Sen. Collins – 202-224-2523 Nebraska Sen. Hagel – 202-224-4224 New Hampshire Sen. Gregg – 202-224-3324 North Dakota Sen. Conrad – 202-224-2043 |
Ohio Sen. DeWine – 202-224-2315 South Dakota Sen. Daschle – 202-224-2321 Virginia Sen. Warner – 202-224-2023 Washington Sen. Cantwell – 202-224-3441 West Virginia Sen. Byrd – 202-224-3954 |
President Bush Devotes Weekly Radio Address to Defending Marriage
In his weekly radio address to the nation, President Bush made
a strong case for marriage and the family and the need for a
constitutional amendment to defend them. “This difficult
debate was forced upon our country by a few activist judges
and local officials, who have taken it on themselves to change
the meaning of marriage,” the President noted. “If
courts create their own arbitrary definition of marriage as
a mere legal contract, and cut marriage off from its cultural,
religious and natural roots, then the meaning of marriage is
lost, and the institution is weakened.”
Complete
address is available here.
Harvard Law Review Analysis: the Federal DOMA is Unconstitutional
The prestigious Harvard Law Review has published the latest in a long series of scholarly articles and opinions that conclude that the Federal Defense of Marriage Act will not withstand a constitutional challenge. The article, "Litigating the Defense of Marriage Act: The Next Battleground for Same-Sex Marriage," concludes that (1) DOMA's "narrow conceptualization of marriage is inconsistent with the [Supreme] Court's broader view of the institution and with the constitutionally protected liberty to choose a marriage partner"; and (2) DOMA's "definition of civil marriage as an exclusively heterosexual institution violates equal protection principles because it was motivated by animus toward homosexuals and because it denies homosexuals access to valuable legal benefits and protections readily available to heterosexuals." Brief note and citation here.
Other News Items of Interest
- “New Ban on Gay Unions Begins” reports on Virginia’s new law amending its Defense of Marriage Act to ban homosexual civil unions. Article here.
- “Marriage Gets a Boost in Michigan” details the qualification of a ballot initiative in Michigan to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to ban same sex marriage. Article here.
- “Massachusetts Court Upheld” reports that the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court did not illegally usurp legislative powers in ordering same sex marriages in the Commonwealth. Article here.
- In “Documents Reveal San Francisco Mayor's Ties to Homosexual Activists” CNSNews Service reports that documents obtained by a public interest law group, Judicial Watch, showing cooperation between the mayor and homosexual activist groups may, the group says, amount to a conspiracy to break the law. Article here.
- “Couples launch gay union lawsuits” details the filing of two lawsuits challenging Massachusetts' 1913 law that prohibits non-resident couples from being married in the commonwealth if those marriages would not be legal in their home states. Article here.
- “LDS Church supports gay-marriage bans” details the announcement by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints endorsement of the federal and the several state constitutional amendments which define marriage as exclusively the union of a man and a woman. Article here.
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United Families International PO Box 2630 Gilbert, AZ 85299-2630
Phone: (480) 632-5450 • FAX: (480) 892-4417