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  By Gudrun Schultz

Dr. DobsonCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, June 14, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A constitutional marriage amendment is essential to protect traditional marriage, said Doctor James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, in an interview with Fox News’ Hannity and Colmes on June 9.

“There is only one way to protect marriage, only one way, and that’s with a constitutional amendment. The institution of marriage is much broader than you and me, it has implications for the entire country and we simply must not turn our backs on it.”

Dr. Dobson said the Senate’s rejection of the amendment last week was “unconscionable,” and out of step with the American people.

“The family, the institution of marriage is going to be defined. It’s either going to be defined by the American people and their representatives or it’ll be defined by imperious judges who override the will of the people. Already there have been 10 courts in nine states that have ruled against the traditional family, and seven more that are being considered right now where it’s up for grabs…We’re really going to need to protect it or it’s going to be gone.”

He pointed out that of the twenty states that have voted on the definition of marriage, all twenty have said marriage is between a man and a woman.

“For five thousand years [marriage has] been the bedrock of civilization. All of civilization sits on that foundation. And most importantly the next generation depends on strong families—children do best when there is a mother and a father.”

Dr. Dobson emphasized that the definition of marriage has a profound impact on the welfare of children, which must be the primary factor in the decision on marriage rights.

“Boys get something from their fathers that they cannot get from their mothers. Mothers cannot be fathers and fathers can’t be mothers. There’s a reason it was designed the way it was. Why do we want to tamper with that? Children are so vulnerable.”

“You have to look out for the interests of children. That’s the primary factor here. Children need to understand what heterosexuality and marriage is all about, what a mother and a father are all about. Homosexual relationships are notoriously unstable, they just are, and children need stability. And they’re more likely to get it with a mother and a father.”

Dr. Dobson is the author of multiple books on marriage and family, including his most recent Marriage Under Fire, an examination of the state of traditional marriage in the U.S. today.

See related LifeSiteNews coverage:

Marriage Amendment Stopped in U.S. Senate
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06060709.html

Bush: Marriage Amendment Necessary since “Activist Courts have left us no other Choice”
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/jun/06060503.html