Press Releases

NEWS RELEASE
February 24, 2009 

LEGISLATORS AND NC4MARRIAGE COALITION SEEK VOTE ON CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO PROTECT MARRIAGE 

Raleigh, North Carolina— Today, Senator Jim Forrester (R-Gaston) and Representatives David Lewis (R-Harnett), James Crawford (D-Granville), Dewey Hill (D-Brunswick), and Pearl Burris-Floyd (R-Cleveland) joined the NC4Marriage Coalition to announce the introduction of the “Defense of Marriage Act” in both the State Senate and House. The legislation will give the citizens of North Carolina the opportunity to vote in November 2009 on a Constitutional Amendment that would protect the State’s existing marriage laws from redefinition by including a provision stating: “Marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.” The broad-based coalition of voters, churches, ministry and denominational leaders, policy organizations and political leaders from both political parties made the announcement at a press conference at the General Assembly. 

“We are sponsoring this legislation because we firmly believe that North Carolina’s marriage laws are at risk of being redefined by activist courts to include same-sex couples,” said Senator Jim Forrester (R-Gaston). “At any moment, a lawsuit challenging our marriage laws could be filed by a same-sex couple from our state that obtained a marriage license in a state where same-sex ‘marriage’ is legal. Without an amendment to our State Constitution, North Carolina is only one bad ruling away from having our marriage laws redefined.” 

Senator Forrester noted that Marriage Amendment legislation has been introduced in both chambers of the General Assembly every legislative session for the past five years, but lawmakers and the people of North Carolina have been denied the opportunity to vote on these bills. “When 76% of the voters of our State are overwhelmingly in favor of such a basic and common-sense issue as this, it is our obligation as leaders to allow them the opportunity to vote on it,” he said.

Representative David Lewis (R-Harnett) addressed arguments against the Defense of Marriage Act. “Our opponents will tell you that North Carolina has strong marriage laws already and that a constitutional amendment is unnecessary,” said Rep. Lewis. “That argument no longer holds water, as we have seen the strong marriage laws of other states—including states with Defense of Marriage Acts, like California and Iowa—overturned by their courts. The indisputable fact is that the only way to protect marriage in North Carolina is through a Constitutional Amendment, and the people of this state should no longer be denied the opportunity to vote on this issue.”

“It is time for our lawmakers to give North Carolinians the same opportunity enjoyed by the citizens of 30 other states—the chance to vote on a Marriage Protection Amendment that will preserve our state’s strong marriage laws,” said NC4Marriage Executive Director, Tami Fitzgerald. “North Carolina is the only state in the southern United States that has not protected marriage in its State Constitution, which makes us a prime target for same-sex ‘marriage’ activists.”

Fitzgerald noted that a Marriage Protection Amendment will protect children from being taught in school that homosexuality is normal, and that same-sex unions are the legal and moral equivalent of traditional marriage. “When the legal definition of marriage is altered, thousands of other laws are altered as well, including what is taught in our public schools concerning marriage, relationships, gender, and sexuality,” said Fitzgerald. 

In addition to protecting children, Fitzgerald said that a Marriage Protection Amendment is necessary to preserve religious freedom and free speech in North Carolina. “Religious freedom is already under attack in other states and countries where same-sex ‘marriage’ is legal,” Fitzgerald pointed out. “For example, in Massachusetts, Catholic Social Charities chose to get out of the adoption business rather than place children with same-sex couples as the law requires. And in both Canada and Sweden, there have been incidents where pastors have been punished—even jailed—for writing or preaching against the normalization of homosexuality.”

“The Marriage Protection Amendment is about protecting a nearly universal institution that for thousands of years and across all civilizations has brought men and women together to create the safest environment for raising children,” Fitzgerald emphasized. “Redefining marriage to include any and all relationships is detrimental to our children, our freedoms, and our health as a state, and that’s what this legislation is about.”  

“NC4Marriage is a coalition of concerned citizens and state leaders who believe that marriage is a sacred public institution, and that North Carolinians deserve the opportunity to vote on a Marriage Protection Amendment this year,” added Fitzgerald. “Protecting marriage in North Carolina is a serious matter that can no longer be ignored by the leaders of our General Assembly.”