President’s Radio
Address
From foxnews.com on
the Web, June 3, 2006
WASHINGTON -- THE PRESIDENT:
Good morning. Next week, the United States Senate will begin debate on a
constitutional amendment that defines marriage in the United States as the union
of a man and woman. On Monday, I will meet with a coalition of community
leaders, constitutional scholars, family and civic organizations, and religious
leaders. They're Republicans, Democrats, and independents who've come
together to support this amendment. Today, I want to explain why I support
the Marriage Protection Amendment, and why I'm urging Congress to pass it and
send it to the states for ratification.
Marriage is the most enduring and important human institution, honored and
encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith. Ages of
experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and a wife to love
and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of
society. Marriage cannot be cut off from its cultural, religious, and
natural roots without weakening this good influence on society.
Government, by recognizing and protecting marriage, serves the interests of all.
In our free society, people have the right to choose how they live their lives.
And in a free society, decisions about such a fundamental social institution as
marriage should be made by the people -- not by the courts.
The American people have spoken clearly on this issue, both through their
representatives and at the ballot box. In 1996, Congress approved the
Defense of Marriage Act by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in both the House
and Senate, and President Clinton signed it into law. And since then,
voters in 19 states have approved amendments to their state constitutions that
protect the traditional definition of marriage. And today, 45 of the 50
states have either a state constitutional amendment or statute defining marriage
as the union of a man and a woman. These amendments and laws express a
broad consensus in our country for protecting the institution of marriage.
Unfortunately, activist judges and some local officials have made an aggressive
attempt to redefine marriage in recent years. Since 2004, state courts in
Washington, California, Maryland, and New York have overturned laws protecting
marriage in those states. And in Nebraska, a federal judge overturned a
state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.
These court decisions could have an impact on our whole Nation. The
Defense of Marriage Act declares that no state is required to accept another
state's definition of marriage. If that act is overturned by activist
courts, then marriages recognized in one city or state might have to be
recognized as marriages everywhere else. That would mean that every state
would have to recognize marriages redefined by judges in Massachusetts or local
officials in San Francisco, no matter what their own laws or state constitutions
say.
This national question requires a national solution, and on an issue of such
profound importance, that solution should come from the people, not the courts.
An amendment to the Constitution is necessary because activist courts have left
our Nation with no other choice. The constitutional amendment that the
Senate will consider next week would fully protect marriage from being
redefined, while leaving state legislatures free to make their own choices in
defining legal arrangements other than marriage. A constitutional
amendment is the most democratic solution to this issue, because it must be
approved by two-thirds of the House and Senate and then ratified by
three-fourths of the 50 state legislatures.
As this debate goes forward, we must remember that every American deserves to be
treated with tolerance, respect, and dignity. All of us have a duty to
conduct this discussion with civility and decency toward one another, and all
people deserve to have their voices heard.
A constitutional amendment will put a decision that is critical to American
families and American society in the hands of the American people, which is
exactly where it belongs. Democracy, not court orders, should decide the
future of marriage in America.
Thank you for listening.
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