KANSAS CITY STAR POINT/COUNTERPOINT ON DOMA

PRO--Sarah Steelman: Marriage is mankind's most enduring covenant. To protect this institution, I sponsored the Defense of Marriage Act to allow citizens to amend our state constitution to define marriage as a union only between one man and one woman.

The concept seems simple, but that's not so in government.

Missouri and other states define marriage as a union of one man and one woman in statutes. Yet courts are striking down these statutory definitions in states that lack a constitutional definition approved by the people themselves.

Based solely on California's failure to define marriage in its state constitution, a San Francisco judge refused to uphold that state's prohibition on same-sex marriage.

In another state that lacks a constitutional definition of marriage, Massachusetts judges are now required to perform same-sex marriages. The Massachusetts Supreme Court struck down that state's statutory gay marriage ban based on a civil-rights argument -- a precedent immediately denounced by recognized civil rights groups.

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ANTI--Star editorial: Democrats and Republicans in Missouri are squabbling over the timing of a statewide vote on banning gay marriages. That alone shows why the state legislature was wrong to place the constitutional amendment on the ballot.

Missouri law already states that marriage is between a man and a woman. The language of the proposed amendment is very similar to the wording of the existing statute. A public vote on gay marriage will serve only to divide citizens when unity is needed to tackle common problems.

The controversy over the election date illustrates the effectiveness of gay marriage as a wedge issue. Democratic Gov. Bob Holden ordered the question to be on the Aug. 3 ballot. Republicans, including Secretary of State Matt Blunt, want the referendum in November, at the same time Missouri voters elect a governor and president. Blunt, the state's chief election official, has refused to follow the governor's order.

The GOP strategy is transparent: Whipping up fears about gay marriage would mean a bigger conservative turnout, which would benefit George Bush's presidential campaign and Republican ambitions to elect Blunt governor. ...

In addition, Missouri has more pressing problems that the legislature should spend its time on -- issues such as education, health care, Medicaid, prescription help for seniors and improving the state's highways. Those issues affect larger numbers of Missourians.

The state constitution should protect the rights of citizens, not expressly deny rights to any minority group. Unlike a statute, which can be changed to reflect shifts in public thinking, an amendment would be inflexible. The legislature was wrong to put it to a referendum. Voters should protect the constitution by turning down an unnecessary alteration -- whenever the election is.

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posted by Eve at 12:43 AM VOTE

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