What’s next for defenders of marriage?

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Wednesday’s Supreme Court rulings on marriage, while hardly unexpected by most traditional marriage advocates, have nonetheless left social conservatives disappointed.  For supporters of traditional marriage, the saving grace of the rulings was that they did not apply to the 35 states with definition of marriage laws or constitutional amendments.

 

That situation is likely to change.  If, as Justice Kennedy wrote in United States v. Windsor, a traditional marriage definition “violates basic due process and equal protection principles” then it is likely that future Supreme Court rulings will invalidate the right of the states to keep marriage between a man and a woman.  This may come through a direct challenge to a state constitutional marriage amendment or through the Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause, which requires that states respect “the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.”  Barring a change in the balance of the Court, it is likely that the justices will continue to chip away at traditional marriage.

Read the rest on  National Elections Examiner

Ten myths about gay marriage

Kurt Löwenstein Educational Center International Team/Wikimedia

Same-sex marriage is once again in the news. This week the Supreme Court is hearing two cases on same sex marriage, either of which could conceivably make gay marriage the law of the land and strike down the definition of marriage laws in place in 37 states and the federal government.

There are many myths and much misinformation surrounding the same-sex marriage issue:

Myth #1: Defense of marriage laws are “gay marriage bans.”

While the media and homosexual activists often refer to these laws as “gay marriage bans,” in reality they do often do not ban anything. The laws simply create a definition of marriage according to the government. The heart of the federal DOMA simply states, “… the word `marriage’ means only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife, and the word `spouse’ refers only to a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.”

 

Read the rest on Examiner.com:

http://www.examiner.com/list/ten-myths-about-the-gay-marriage-debate?cid=db_articles

Family studies should impact gay marriage debate

Studies indicate that children of gay couples may fare worse than those of traditional families. (Melinda/Wikimedia)

This week the Supreme Court will hear arguments on whether same sex marriage is a protected right under the Constitution. Along with whether the ability to marry anyone you choose is indeed a constitutional right, one of the issues that the justices must consider in answering this question is the question of what is best for children.

As the small number of same-sex families increased, several studies were done on the issue. Proponents of same-sex marriage have claimed that such studies have shown that gay families fare as well or better than heterosexual parents. Breakpoint quotes an American Psychological Association statement that says, “Not a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents.” According to the New Republic, the Ninth Circuit Court’s decision striking down California’s definition of marriage law says, “Children raised by gay or lesbian parents are as likely as children raised by heterosexual parents to be healthy, successful, and well-adjusted. The research supporting this conclusion is accepted beyond serious debate in the field of developmental psychology.” In truth, the evidence so far has been inconclusive, but two recent studies shed doubt on these claims.

Read the rest on Examiner.com:

http://www.examiner.com/article/recent-family-studies-may-impact-supreme-court-gay-marriage-decision?cid=db_articles

Nine myths about same-sex marriage

(Montrealis/Wikimedia)

Same-sex marriage is once again in the news. Three weeks ago, North Carolina voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that defined marriage as between a man and a woman. The next day, President Obama reversed his support for traditional marriage and returned to a previously stated position that same-sex couples should be granted the right to marry. Now a decision by a federal appeals court in Boston has thrust the issue into the headlines once again.

The ruling by the First Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals found Section Three of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage in federal law as between a man and a woman, to be unconstitutional. The Court did not address Section Two, which stipulates that states do not have to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. The Court stayed its own ruling pending appeal which will almost certainly reach the Supreme Court.

There are many myths and much misinformation surrounding the same-sex marriage issue:

Read this article on Examiner.com:

http://www.examiner.com/article/nine-myths-about-the-same-sex-marriage-debate

 

Support for same-sex marriage may be overstated

(Wing/Wikimedia Commons)

Over the past year, defenders of traditional marriage have suffered a series of setbacks.  In August 2010, a federal judge struck down California’s definition of marriage amendment as had happened in a handful of other states.  Just before Christmas, Congress voted to repeal the “Don’t Ask-Don’t Tell” policy and allow gays to serve openly in the military.  In February 2011, Attorney General Holder announced that the Obama Administration would not defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act against challenges in federal court.  King and Spalding, the Atlanta law firm selected by Congress to defend the law, withdrew from the case in April under pressure from gay rights activist groups.

 

The trend led Jim Daly, the head of Focus on the Family, to tell “World Magazine” in early June that “We’re losing on that one [gay marriage], especially among the 20- and 30-somethings….”  Daly went on to say, “We’ve probably lost that. I don’t want to be extremist here, but I think we need to start calculating where we are in the culture.”

Continue reading on Examiner.com Public support for gay marriage may be overstated – Atlanta Conservative | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/public-support-for-gay-marriage-may-be-overstated#ixzz1RnOT2N98

 

 

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Newt Gingrich (Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia)

Newt Gingrich is a transplanted Georgian who was born and grew up in Pennsylvania.  Born in 1943, his birth name was Newton Leroy McPherson.  His mother and father divorced after a marriage of only a few days.  Newt’s mother remarried to a career army officer, Robert Gingrich, in 1946.  Gingrich adopted Newt and the couple had three daughters.

 

The family moved frequently as the senior Gingrich received new assignments.  Newt graduated from high school in Columbus, Ga. in 1961.  He graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in history in 1965.  He earned a Master’s and Ph.D. in modern European history from Tulane, graduating in 1971.  After earning his doctorate, Gingrich returned to Georgia, where he taught at West Georgia College in Carrollton from 1970 to 1978.

Continue reading on Examiner.com Meet the candidates: Newt Gingrich – Atlanta Elections 2012 | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/elections-2012-in-atlanta/meet-the-candidates-newt-gingrich#ixzz1QDSA1zBT

Part 2:  “Gingrich closet holds several skeletons“

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Effect of Obama’s DOMA decision

President Clinton signed the DOMA into law, but has since changed his mind.

The Defense of Marriage Act was passed in 1996 to broad bipartisan support. In the Senate, the bill passed by a margin of 85 – 14. Both of Georgia’s senators, Republican Paul Coverdell and Democrat Sam Nunn voted for passage of the bill. In the House, the vote was 342 – 67. House Democrats voted for the bill by a margin of 118 – 65. John Lewis was the only member of Georgia’s delegation to oppose the bill. The bill was signed into law by President Clinton.

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Effect of Obama’s DOMA decision on Georgia – Atlanta Conservative | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-atlanta/effect-of-obama-s-doma-decision-on-georgia#ixzz1EuFeVj9S