UTAH AMENDMENT VITAL TO PROTECT FAMILIES: Rep. Chris Cannon

...In the face of activist courts and the certain legal pressure that will come to bear on Utah to recognize other states' definitions of marriage (like Massachusetts or Vermont), we must take a clear and unequivocal stand to protect marriage as we have chosen to establish it here.

Having dealt extensively in Congress with the challenge of protecting marriage, I have heard the arguments and consulted with legal experts on all sides of this issue. Most disturbingly, I've watched as quibbling over which set of words is right has prevented us from acting decisively on the federal level. ...

I would suggest that there is little or no question where the vast majority of Utahns stand on the issue of same-sex marriage. It is critical that we not bog ourselves down over words as we have done in Congress. Opposing Amendment 3 using sentences beginning with: "I'm against same-sex marriage, but . . ." may seem sophisticated; but on this issue, that answer doesn't cut it. The proposed amendment was not written on the back of a napkin in an ice cream shop; it was carefully composed by some of the best legal minds in the state and vetted by many more.

Amendment 3 does two simple things: It protects Utah's definition of marriage as the union of a man and a woman; and it prevents the imposition by the courts of new forms of marriage. Lawyers will argue, but I am convinced the amendment does those things and nothing more. And while some will conjure up the possibility of all kinds of unintended consequences, the intent and, I am satisfied, the effect of Amendment 3 is to simply preserve a legal status quo so important to Utah. And those who disagree have an obligation to be more specific and provide us with a substantive explanation of their concerns, rather than the simple rejoinder that the proposed amendment "goes too far."

In the weeks ahead, we will be assaulted with TV ads, radio spots and all kinds of other "messages" about Amendment 3--by both sides. At the end of the day (or the campaign, in this case), it is important to remember that this has nothing to do with "gay bashing," which I condemn. It is about the value of protecting the nuclear family and the stability it has given us in America.

It is about the reality that our freedom and prosperity come in large part from our religious foundations that inculcate personal responsibility in our citizens, and that this happens largely through the family. This is a choice we, including gays, as a society have to make.

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posted by Eve at 5:25 PM VOTE

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