FORT WORTH, Texas (LifeSiteNews.com) – Two strongly pro-family bills, one of which was passed in the Texas Senate last week, have received the signature of Texas governor Rick Perry.
The first bill, an abortion parental-consent law, requiring the consent of parents in order for a minor to procure an abortion, comes into effect with the signature of governor Perry. It is a stronger law than the previous law governing minors seeking abortion, which only required that parents be notified of their daughter’s intentions.
The second bill is a constitutional amendment banning gay-marriage. The Texas public is set to vote on the amendment this November 7, making the governor’s signature merely ceremonial. “A nurturing home with a loving mother and loving father is the best way to guide our children down the proper path,” said the governor in defense of the proposed amendment.
The signing of the bills took place at the Calvary Christian Academy. Addressing the crowd of supporters present, Perry explained his reasons for supporting both of the bills. “Families are the bedrock of civilization,” said the governor. “Marriage must be defended because it is the true glue that binds the very fabric of our society. For families to thrive, parents must be involved in their children’s decisions.”
Perry also spoke about the motivation for putting the gay-marriage ban before Texas’ voters as an exercise in democracy. He explained that even though same-sex marriages are illegal in Texas, the constitutional amendment is necessary to protect traditional marriage from being tampered with by activist judges. “Activist judges have used the bench as a platform to advance a narrow agenda,” said the governor.Â
A crowd of protestors was present. One man held a sign that said “Separate church and state—keep America great.” Jake Holbrook, who is the president of StandOut, a UT gay-rights lobby, said that he still had hope that the bills would be overturned by passing the issue on to some of the activist judges who Governor Perry had denounced in his speech. “That’s the nice thing about democracy” said Holbrook, “there’s always a way out after these things happen.”
Eighteen of the fifty states have already passed constitutional amendments banning gay marriage. Nine more are set to decide on the issue this fall.
JJ