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March 31, 2004

FMA Supports in Full Retreat

It's all over but the shouting on the Federal Marriage Amendment.

With conservatives like Bob Barr, the main author of the Defense of Marriage Act, opposing the FMA, other conservatives are ready to deal for even a scrap of their original goals.

Reverend Lou Sheldon admits his side is losing-- their momentum has slowed and "is not picking up steam." They had already compromised to remove any implication that state governments would be barred from enacting civil unions, with present wording as follows:

"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."

But even that is not flying, so:

Sheldon predicted the wording will be changed again to leave only the first sentence, which he argued would avoid battles over civil unions..."We just need one sentence to protect the sanctity of marriage and nothing else."

Essentially, the new FMA would prevent using the "M-word" at the federal level and nothing more-- essentially Lou Sheldon's position coverging with John Kerry and Dick Cheney.

Posted by Nathan at March 31, 2004 07:27 PM