THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE REQUIRES A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT

It is my belief that marriage is a sacred commitment between a man and a woman, and is the foundation of the traditional family. Therefore, I support an amendment to the Constitution that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. An amendment to the Constitution is not to be undertaken lightly, but the preservation of marriage rises to the level of national importance.

By way of background, in 1996, Congress overwhelmingly passed the Defense of Marriage Act to define marriage under federal law as a legal union between a man and a woman as husband and wife. President Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act into law after it passed the House 342-67 and the Senate 85-14. In all, 38 states have passed similar laws, demonstrating a strong consensus for protecting the institution of marriage.

In the light of contradictory state court decisions, I agreed with President Bush when he called on Congress "to promptly pass, and to send to the states for ratification, an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of man and woman as husband and wife" to bring clarity to this matter. More than 200 years of American law and thousands of years of human experience should not be arbitrarily changed by a handful of judges and local authorities.

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