WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky today delivered the following statement on the floor of the House of Representatives in opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment:

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong opposition to H.J.Res 88, the Constitutional Amendment to Prohibit Same Sex Marriage. If this amendment were to pass, it would mark the first time in history that the Constitution has been amended to include discrimination.

I believe in marriage, as a stabilizing force in our society, as a nurturing environment for children, as a public expression of the most profound love and devotion, of a commitment between two people to take responsibility for one another in a legal and personal sense in sickness and in health. The vast majority of couples are, of course, one man and one woman.

But the same virtues of couplehood apply to any loving adults. Surely the 27 year relationship of my dear friends Michael and Roger do not threaten my marriage in any way. The loving family that Ann and Jackie expanded when they adopted David, giving him two adoring parents, is a good thing, regardless of what anyone may say to the contrary—and nothing in the Constitution should be established to discourage it.

There are so many pressing issues working to undermine families. Same sex couples embrace the positive value of families. Let’s spend our limited time here as law makers helping all families—and not discriminating against them.