STATEMENT OF RFC CHAIRMAN WILLIAM J. MURRAY ON FMA SENATE VOTE

On Wednesday, July 14, 2004, we will see on which side of the divide our Senators stand, when they vote for or against the Federal Marriage Amendment.  On one side of that divide are those who honor and uphold marriage as the foundation of the family, the basic institution of any society.  On the other side are those who wish to perform an ill conceived experiment on our children and our society by legalizing same-sex marriage. 

Same-sex marriage is an extremely radical experiment because until the past twenty years or so, the idea was never entertained in any society that we know of, not even in those which were very tolerant of homosexuality, such as ancient Greece. Marriage has always been seen an institution for conceiving and rearing children, for establishing a family and preserving inheritances, for taking care of the sick and the elderly.  Because of the importance of these functions governments have always taken an interest in regulating and supporting marriages. Still today, the ideal environment in which to raise a child is in a home with a married mother and father and many objective studies continue to show this to be true.

Now, a small minority wants to redefine marriage and if this is done the consequences could be devastating to our society. In western civilization there are laws against incest, against polygamy, and against adults marrying minor children.  All laws governing human relationships, including those involving incest, will be in jeopardy if same-sex marriage becomes the law of the land. 

It is a certainty that if same-sex marriages are recognized in law, courts will force public schools to have a whole curriculum teaching “safe” homosexual practices.  Parents who object on moral grounds will have little ground to stand on, since these sexual practices will have the full sanction of the law.  Teachers who object may well lose their jobs.

A handful of unelected judges in Massachusetts have decided to ignore the will of the people and force homosexual marriages on the people of that state and perhaps the nation as well.  Today our Senators must decide whether to stand up for the vast majority of the people who want to protect traditional marriage between one man and one woman, or to side with activist judges who want to force their own agenda on the country.

William J. Murray

Chairman

Religious Freedom Coalition

Washington, DC

William J. Murray is available to discuss this issue

Phone: (202) 543-0300 * www.rfcnet.org