Issues@Hand
AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs
February 2006 – The Washington state supreme court is soon expected to issue its ruling on whether or not that state has to legalize same-sex marriage. As pro-family groups wait apprehensively for the verdict, AFA has renewed its call for a federal solution to the assault on marriage.
That solution is in the form of the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA), which defines marriage as being between one man and one woman. If passed, such an amendment would be impervious to judicial tampering.
“The very idea of the entire nation sitting around and waiting to see if a handful of judges overturn traditional marriage with a nonchalant wave of the hand is absurd,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “We need to anchor marriage in a constitutional amendment, and we need to do it soon.”
Massachusetts is so far the only state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage, but if Washington follows suit, the impact would resonate far beyond that state.
“The only silver lining when Massachusetts legalized homosexual marriage was that the state has a residency requirement,” Wildmon said. “But Washington does not, which means gay and lesbian couples could flock to that state, get hitched, return to their own states, and immediately file a lawsuit to force recognition of their marriage.”
Regardless of what happens in Washington state, however, court battles over same-sex marriage are going on already. Lawsuits have been filed by homosexual couples in California, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey and New York, according to The Washington Times.
On the other hand, state efforts to protect marriage have gone exceedingly well thus far. To date 19 states have passed such measures without a single effort being defeated at the ballot box. This year several other states are expected to see clashes over the issue, as pro-family groups attempt to get their states to solidify constitutional protections for one man-one woman marriage.
Ultimately, however, AFA sees an amendment to the U.S. Constitution as being the only permanent way to stop homosexual court challenges, and an amendment is not an easy thing to pass on the federal level.
In order to pass the FMA, three-fourths of the states would have to ratify the proposed amendment. But first the FMA has to garner the support of two-thirds of the members of the U.S. Senate.
A renewed push of the FMA in the Senate is expected as early as March. As a result, Wildmon is asking AFA supporters to contact their senators.
See here for information on how to contact your senators. 
