WASHINGTON, JULY 18, 2006 - "Marriage, the union of one man and one woman, is imbedded deeply in our legal, religious, and economic institutions," stated Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Ocala). "Marriage is also the central structure supporting the family, which is the building block of our society. Undermining marriage as between one man and one woman weakens the family and our society. This amendment protects states from being forces to recognize same-sex marriages created by other states."
The House today did not approve by a two-thirds vote H.J. Res. 88, the Marriage Protection Amendment, which would establish a national definition of marriage as between one man and one woman, leave marriage laws to the state legislatures, and add a layer of protection against court-imposed arrangements other than marriage.
Continued Stearns, "Marriage and family laws should be determined by the people in their states through their legislatures and not by activist judges promoting their political agendas. The voters in twenty states supported amendments to define marriage as being between a man and a woman, and 23 other states have enacted laws to limit marriage to unions between a man and a woman, including Florida. Yet, not in one state has the public voted to permit same-sex unions. This amendment protects the democratic process used by millions of Americans to preserve the traditional definition of marriage."
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