WASHINGTON, July 13, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As debate nears a prescheduled close on the Federal Marriage Amendment proposal before the US Senate, Republicans find themselves divided by a Democrat-induced tangle. Democratic Senators surprised the GOP by agreeing not to block a proposed vote on the amendment, granted that the amendment was unaltered. The wording of the proposed Amendment, sponsored by Colorado Republican Senator Wayne Allard, is as follows: “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman,” with a second line that states “Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.”
Some GOP Senators are divided over the necessity of the second line, and want a simpler version that denies marriage but still leaves room for civil union laws, should states choose to adopt them for homosexuals. Republicans thus rejected the Democrats offer to vote on the original proposal, in favor of two separate votes – one for the original, and a second vote on a simplified amendment. The Democrats rejected this later option, saying that they also have additional proposals, triggering a deadlock. One Senate Republican aide told the Washington Times that a simpler version could garner more votes from the Democrats, something the Democrats want to prevent by not agreeing to two votes. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, in a press conference Tuesday said, “It’s not too much to ask that the 28th [amendment to the US Constitution] be about protecting traditional marriage,” describing how the 27th amendment was about the regulation of congressional salaries.
Americans are in support of a Constitutional amendment by a margin of 51 to 44, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll conducted in late June. A Gallup poll conducted at the same time asked Americans whether homosexual “marriages” should be valid—55 percent said no, while 39 percent said yes. Read recent LifeSiteNews.com coverage: Federal Marriage Amendment Debate Hits U.S. Senate https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jul/04070903.html
tv