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Bush: Court rulings vindicate support for marriage amendment


WASHINGTON (BP)–President Bush said March 16 that judicial rulings supporting same-sex “marriage” — such as the recent one in California — are justifying his support for a marriage amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

“[T]he court rulings are verifying why I took the position I took,” he said at a White House news conference. “And that is I don’t believe judges ought to be deciding this issue. I believe this is an issue of particular importance to the American people and should be decided by the people. I think the best way to do so is through the constitutional process.

“I haven’t changed my mind at all. As a matter of fact, the court rulings such as this strengthen my position…. People now understand why I laid out the position I did.”

Bush’s answer was in response to a reporter’s question about the marriage amendment. She asked: “Will you put some muscle behind that effort this year, or is it something you prefer not to deal with?” The reporter noted that Bush does not talk “nearly as much” about the marriage amendment as he does Social Security and other issues.

A California judge March 14 struck down that state’s ban on same-sex “marriage.” It is being appealed. The law had been passed in 2000 by 61 percent of the voters. Judges in Washington state and New York have issued similar rulings in recent months. Massachusetts legalized same-sex “marriage” last year, solely by a court order.

Bush also was asked what he was going to do to promote the marriage amendment.

“The courts are going to promote a lot of the action by their very rulings,” he responded. “People will understand … the logic behind the decision I made. No matter what your position is on the issue, this is an issue that should be decided by the people — not by judges.

“The more judges start deciding the issue, I’m confident the more the people will want to be involved in the issue. This is a very important issue for the country, and one that obviously needs to be conducted with a great deal of sensitivity and concern about other people’s feelings. But this is an issue I feel strongly about.”

A marriage amendment has been introduced in the Senate (SJR 1) but has yet to be introduced in the House. It would require the support of two-thirds of the House and Senate and three-fourths of the states.

Bush also was asked his thoughts on nativity scenes and Ten Commandments displays on government property.

“We had a display of the Ten Commandments on the statehouse grounds in Texas, and I supported that display,” he said in a one-sentence response, referring to his days as Texas governor.
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For more information about the national debate over same-sex “marriage,” visit http://www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage

    About the Author

  • Michael Foust