As is well-known by now, the Federal Marriage Amendment was defeated in the
Senate on a procedural vote last week, but its supporters said the debate on
the issue is far from done.
As is well-known by now, the Federal Marriage Amendment was defeated in the
Senate on a procedural vote last week, but its supporters said the debate on
the issue is far from done.
The amendment would define marriage in the United States as only between a
man and a woman. As a constitutional amendment, it must pass the U.S. Senate
and House of Representatives by two-thirds margin and be ratified by three-fourths
of the states in the Union.
The process began with the Senate.
However, the amendment itself did not make it to a vote in that chamber of
Congress. Needing 60 votes to limit debate and allow a vote – a procedure
called invoking cloture – amendment supporters received only 48 votes.
Fifty senators voted against cloture, in essence blocking a vote.
“The battle has just begun,” amendment sponsor Sen. Wayne Allard,
R.-Colo., said after the vote. “I think this is a very strong first vote.
This is a long process. Nobody on our side, I think, ever felt for a minute
that this was going to be a one-shot deal.”
Allard said he would sit down with colleagues and work toward a consensus.
But he said that because of the Senates tight schedule, a vote is unlikely
for the rest of the year. A vote in the House is expected to take place before
the November election.
“Well have more votes in the following years,” Allard predicted.
Likewise, opponents of the proposed amendment said the fight will continue.
“We know a lot of organizing is going on to push this kind of legislation,”
a spokesperson for one group opposing the amendment noted. “We aim to do
what we can to oppose these efforts.”
President George Bush expressed disappointment at last weeks action but
urged the House to pass the amendment.
“I am deeply disappointed that the effort to pass a constitutional amendment
affirming the sanctity of marriage as being between a man and a woman was temporarily
blocked in the Senate,” he said. “Activist judges and local officials
in some parts of the country are not letting up in their efforts to redefine
marriage for the rest of America – and neither should defenders of traditional
marriage flag in their efforts.”
The weeks leading up to the Senate action were intense, as groups rallied across
the nation in support of the amendment.
Several groups reportedly delivered petitions signed by 2.5 million people
online in support of the amendment.
Other groups held rallies, including one held at Bellevue Baptist Church in
Memphis that attracted some 10,000 persons.
The gathering was part of a nationwide “Battle for Marriage” simulcast
designed to rally persons to concerted action.
It worked, as news reports indicate that Senate offices were deluged with telephone
calls and e-mails just prior to the vote.
One senator reported that his office received more phone calls on the amendment
in a five-day period than it has on any other issue in the same timeframe since
he entered the Senate.
And following last weeks vote, a Bellevue spokesperson said the lobbying
efforts would not stop. “We are still encouraging our people to contact
their Congress members and show their appreciation for their votes or disapproval
if they voted against (the amendment),” he said.
Even if the amendment had made it to a vote, it likely would have fallen short
of the 67 votes needed to pass. Part of the problem is the concern of some regarding
the second sentence of the amendment.
The proposed amendment reads, “Marriage in the United States shall consist
only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution
of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents
thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.”
Some say the second line would prevent states from legalizing civil unions
and propose dropping that line in favor of a single-sentence statement on marriage.
Observers say a single sentence defining marriage would gain more support.
Regardless, all agree the issue is far from settled and will return to the
Senate at some time in the future.
Meanwhile, last weeks initial vote largely held to party lines. Only
three Democrats voted to allow a vote on the proposed amendment itself. Meanwhile,
just six Republicans voted to block such a vote.
Democratic Sens. John Kerry and John Edwards were campaigning for president
and vice president and did not vote. Both said they would have returned for
a vote on the amendment itself. However, both also have said that while they
oppose same-sex marriage, they favor leaving the issue to states and would oppose
amending the constitution at this point.
(This article includes details from Associated Baptist Press and Baptist Press
releases)