WASHINGTON, June 5, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Tomorrow, June 6, the U.S. Senate will vote on the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA), which defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The language of the proposed federal constitutional amendment states as follows: “Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. 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.”
Meanwhile, today, June 5, the Center for Reclaiming America for Christ will deliver the names of 505,199 people who have signed a petition in support of the Marriage Protection Amendment to the U.S. Senate.
“We are very hopeful that senators will heed their constituents and support the Marriage Protection Amendment,” said Dr. Gary Cass, Executive Director of the Center. “Doing so will return this matter to the people and take marriage out of the hands of activist judges, such as the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts.” Cass said that if given the chance, “the majority of Americans always vote to protect marriage. We call on the Senate to do what is right and is in the best interest of our children and nation.”
When it comes to same-sex “marriage,” the U.S. Senate and many members of the judiciary could take a lesson from the French, said Cass. After witnessing the effects of same-sex “marriage” on neighboring countries, the French General Assembly issued a report recommending that marriage and adoption should be off-limits for homosexual couples. The report found it more important “to affirm and protect children’s rights.”
“It is proper,” said Cass, “for the state to support the institution that gives children the best environment in which to succeed in life.”
Cass also noted that the movement to protect marriage is growing. “Since the last Senate vote to protect marriage in 2004,” he said, “we now have five new Senators who campaigned to protect marriage. Nineteen states now have amendments defining marriage in their state constitutions. Seven more will decide the issue by the end of 2006.”
Recent court rulings overturning state amendments in Nebraska and Georgia have confirmed that a federal marriage amendment is absolutely essential to protect marriage. “Other courts will soon be handing down rulings which may make further chaos of our nation’s marriage laws,” warned Cass. “We need a single, national constitutional standard.”
President Bush will publicly endorse the MPA in a ceremony todayÂat the White House, just one day before the Senate is expected to vote on the measure. In his Saturday radio address, Bush said: “Ages of experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society.”