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Marriage Protection Amendment

Date: July 18, 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Conservative Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Marriage Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity


MARRIAGE PROTECTION AMENDMENT

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Mr. GRAVES. Mr. Speaker, today I proudly rise in support of House Joint Resolution 88, the Marriage Protection Amendment.

Today, Mr. Speaker, 45 out of 50 States have enacted laws defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. That is 90 percent of the States, and these States contain 88 percent of the population.

In August 2004, the people of my home State of Missouri overwhelmingly voted by a majority of 71 to 29 percent to approve a State constitutional amendment protecting the traditional definition of marriage. Unfortunately, this sacred institution and the will of the people are under direct assault by an out-of-control judiciary branch. Radical judges on the supreme court of Massachusetts have already imposed same-sex marriage in that Commonwealth against the wishes of a majority of citizens, and I fear the activist State and Federal judges will soon impose same-sex marriage upon other jurisdictions in our Nation.

What that means is the people in my home State of Missouri may have legal recognition of same-sex marriage forced upon them, even though 71 percent of Missourians voted to adopt an amendment preventing such a practice.

Mr. Speaker, it is becoming increasingly apparent that our only recourse is to amend the Constitution of the United States. This is not a decision I take lightly, but we must act to defend the foundation of our society. Without such an amendment, people in Missouri, and many other States, will be disenfranchised by the courts.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, the Senate has dealt with this, and, no, this isn't a political issue. The reason that the Senate has dealt with this is exactly why the House needs to stand up and send a positive message to the American people about what is the best married environment to raise our children, and that is an environment that is a marriage between a man and a woman.

Mr. Speaker, this Congress as representatives of the American people has a duty to protect marriage from attack by the courts. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the Marriage Protection Amendment.

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