| Perhaps our most urgent battle is with the proponents of so-called same-sex “marriage.” Courts across the country have begun to circumvent the will of the people and strike down state laws protecting traditional marriage, thus declaring by judicial fiat that homosexual “marriages” must be legally recognized. While most states have laws on the books protecting traditional marriage, these laws have proven inadequate and have been struck down or are in danger of being declared unconstitutional. Even state constitutional amendments are not safe.
Marriage is a social institution older than the nation-state, contract law, Christianity or any known institution. History and nature instruct us that marriage is the proper setting for parenthood. Although not all heterosexual couples are able to procreate, this ability is structurally missing from the homosexual relationship. The homosexual relationship precludes any chance of procreation. We can look to Europe to more fully understand the effects of a society that embraces a definition of marriage that does not include parenthood. In countries like Sweden and the Netherlands, the acceptance and legalization of same-sex “marriage” has helped lead to the break down of the family unit. Things have degenerated so much that couples often don’t bother getting married, and the majority of children are born out-of-wedlock. While couples bearing children out-of-wedlock are often fairly well-off economically, their rates of dissolution are much higher than their married counterparts or married parents in the United States. Scandinavian officials and academics are finally recognizing the devastating consequences of the demise of traditional marriage. Are we going to follow Europe’s example or are we going to fight to prevent the redefinition and destruction of this vital institution? At American Values, we are committed to the latter. We believe that the laws of marriage do not create marriage, but help to sustain the public meanings of marriage. Again, because marriage pre-exists our government, our laws relating to marriage can merely acknowledge and regulate an institution that already exists. In addition, American Values supports a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. While we believe that federalism is one of the greatest characteristics of American democracy and while marriage has traditionally been a state issue, some values are so fundamental that they need to be sanctioned and protected at the federal level. |