catholicsphere

Appearing below is the text of an email I received from “The Alliance for Marriage”. Typically the regulation of marriage has been left to the states. In the past I’ve not been in favor of a federal amendment because of that fact. But, what states choose to do has farther reaching effects, into American society and federal government. Unfortunately, it may have come to the point where there needs to be more federal participation in the setting of the marriage statutes. There needs to be a consistency upon which we base our marriage laws, in order to properly serve the American people.

The purpose of the state’s regulation of marriage really has little, if anything, to do with who loves whom. Instead, it has to do more with the state’s interest in the care and support of women and children, so that women and children are not left to fend for themselves, or become a burden of the state, due to “deadbeat dads.” It’s intent has traditionally been to provide an incentive to marriage in order that children be born within the marital union, rather than outside of it. Further, and perhaps more importantly, the provisions for care, property transfer, etc in the case of the death of the father — who has traditionally been the “bread winner” for the family — is for the benefit of the continued support of children.

The potential for male-female relations to produce children is an overarching reason for marriage. This is not to say that children will absolutely, or have to, be created in a marriage. Yet the likelihood that children will result is important to the state’s sanctioning of marriage and why it has no legitimate interest in recognizing homosexual marriage. Homosexual relations never will produce children, and therefore, is outside the state’s concern.

While same-sex couples may love each other and even may feel a stronger bond than some married couples, the state has no interest in such things – whether for heterosexual or homosexual couples. No couple is asked why they want to get married. Love, raising a family or any other reasons, while admirable, are unimportant to the sanction of marriage, as it should be.

Of course, many today don’t think any of that matters because of the changes that society has undergone. That doesn’t mean the changes are right. Because of the nationwide effects of the sanctioning of marriage, the federal government has an interest in providing direction to all states, and a duty to support those areas of concern.

For Immediate Release

WASHINGTON, DC — The Alliance for Marriage today applauded the Catholic Bishops of the United States for reaffirming their strong endorsement of the Marriage Protection Amendment created by the Alliance for Marriage. “The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is to be congratulated for encouraging Catholic bishops across the country to make their voice heard in advance of the pending Senate vote on our marriage amendment,” said Matt Daniels, president of the Alliance for Marriage. “Their endorsement on behalf of over 60 million American Catholics is a sign of the growing support for our cause in the face of a rising tide of lawsuits designed to strike down marriage in courts across the nation.”

Msgr. Fay of the USCCB with Dr. Matt Daniels, Founder and President of AFM — Click image for Video“Most Americans believe that gays and lesbians have a right to live as they choose. But they don’t believe they have a right to redefine marriage for our entire society,” said Daniels. “AFM drafted the Marriage Protection Amendment because Americans want our laws to send a positive message to children about marriage, family and their future.” “The constitutional problem created by almost a decade of activist lawsuits to destroy our marriage laws demands a constitutional fix,” Daniels added. “AFM’s marriage amendment has been introduced with bi-partisan sponsorship in two successive sessions of Congress in order to protect the common sense view of marriage shared by the vast majority of Americans of every race, color and creed.” “AFM’s Marriage Protection Amendment will protect marriage while leaving all issues of benefits to the democratic process in the states,” Daniels said. “AFM believes this centrist approach embodied in our amendment offers hope of a democratic resolution to a debate that has been forced on the American people by the courts.” The Alliance for Marriage is a multicultural coalition whose Board of Advisors includes Rev. Walter Fauntroy — the D.C. Coordinator of the March on Washington for Martin Luther King Jr. — as well as other civil rights and religious leaders, and national legal experts.