US RELEASE 11/04/09: Lessons Conservatives Must Learn From Marriage Battles in Maine and Washington State
SAVEAMERICA.COM NEWS RELEASE
November 4, 2009 -- For Immediate Release
Lessons Conservatives Must Learn From Marriage Battles in Maine and Washington State
Sacramento, California -- West Coast pro-family leader Randy Thomasson issued the following statement in response to the Maine victory for man-woman marriage licenses and the probable loss of unique man-woman marriage rights in Washington. Maine's Question 1 passed 53-47%; Washington's "No on R-71" trails 51-49%.
"The lesson for conservatives is that, in order to honor and protect family values in your state, you must attach might to right and give time and money to match your words and values," said Randy Thomasson, president of SaveAmerica.com. "National pro-family organizations put early money into Maine's marriage-license battle, and marriage licenses were protected for a man and woman. But national groups contributed too little too late to the Washington state campaign to protect man-woman marriage rights, which is trailing after being outspent four to one."
"Another very important lesson is that to protect everything about marriage for one man and one woman, you must protect the whole enchilada, because you can't protect just the outer wrapping and then go back later and protect what's inside. In the last several years, California, Oregon, Washington and Alaska protected the word 'marriage,' only to see liberal legislators and judges create counterfeit marriages for homosexuals with the exact same rights as marriage between a man and a woman. The reality is, to fully protect marriage in the law, you must protect marriage licenses, marriage rights, and all legal aspects of marriage. Protecting only marriage licenses, but not marriage rights and marriage benefits, results in man-woman marriages that are devoid of any special or unique legal status. Children need to be raised in a society that respects the exclusive institution of marriage between a man and a woman, with full legal protection of this special relationship," said Thomasson.
HISTORY
CALIFORNIA: In 2000, California voters approved Proposition 22 to reserve marriage licenses for "a man and a woman." In 2003, the legislature passed and the governor signed AB 205, awarding every marriage right to homosexual "domestic partners."
OREGON: In 2004, Oregon voters reserved marriage licenses for "one man and one woman." In 2007, the legislature passed and the governor signed HB 2007, awarding every marriage right to homosexual "domestic partners."
WASHINGTON: In 2006, the Washington state Supreme Court ruled that homosexual "marriage" was not a constitutional right. In 2007, 2008, and 2009, the legislature passed and the governor signed three incremental bills, which, in combination, awarded every marriage right to homosexual "domestic partners."
ALASKA: In 1998, Alaska voters reserved marriage licenses for "one man and one woman." In 2005, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled that government employee marriage benefits must be provided to homosexual couples.
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