Minnesota Marriage Amendment to Ban No Same Sex Gay Marriage
Minnesota Marriage Amendment to Ban No Same Sex Gay Marriage
A year from now, Minnesotans will vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between one man and one woman. Our state House and Senate have placed a constitutional amendment on the November 2012 ballot that will define marriage in the State of Minnesota as the union between one man and one woman.
Regrettably, the media and some secular commentators have chosen to mischaracterize this measure as anti-gay, mean-spirited and prejudicial. This is not the case or the intent behind the initiative. The Minnesota Catholic Conference, made up of the seven Catholic bishops from the state, support this amendment not for prejudicial or political reasons, but rather for reasons that are theological, biological and pastoral.
Theologically, the definition of marriage predates any government or religious denomination. Bible passages say it reflects God’s plan for man and woman to share in his creative power of bringing new life into the world (Genesis 1:27-28). Jesus ratifies this in Matthew 19:8-9. Similarly, the very biological, not to mention spiritual, complementarity of the two sexes defines the reproductive nature of their relationship which, in turn, enhances the well-being and joy of that union.
Children flourish best in the context of having both a mother and a father. Every scientific study confirms this reality. We know that many single parents strive mightily to raise children in as normal a context as possible; and many do an excellent job at this. Nevertheless, boys and girls develop better if they have the influence of a mother and a father, living in the same home.
Opposition to the Minnesota Marriage Amendment
Minnesota Democrats have been vocal in opposing the proposed amendment, and a Change.org petition was made to encourage the party to fight the measure that could be placed on the ballot. According to the petition: "Please be clear about where the DFL Party stands on LGBT equality. Please express your concerns about the looming dangers to LGBT equality in Minnesota. Please call all DFLer’s in MN to become concerned and active for the equal rights of LGBT Minnesotan’s.”
Proponents of the amendment and those who oppose it have a long ground war ahead of them as they try to convince voters that an amendment would either help or hurt families. If the early skirmishes are any indication, both sides already are on the defensive.
The marriage battle is expected to be a big, expensive fight. The first sign of how big the stakes are was a series of clashes this summer before the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board. Pro-amendment groups like the Minnesota Family Council that pushed hard to place it on the ballot, argued that releasing the names of their financial contributors would make them vulnerable to harassment and retaliation from the other side.
At the June 14 meeting, board member Andy Luger, an appointee of Gov. Mark Dayton, questioned Tom Prichard, president of the Minnesota Family Council about the perceived threat. "Other than your intuition, your instincts, your sense of what might happen, do you have information that that is going to occur?" Luger asked. "Well, I can't say it's going to happen until it happens, but I think you look at what's happened in other states - California and other situations where that has happened, and even if there isn't an actual incident, the chilling effect of speech, or criticism or other things," Prichard said. "I mean, even short of physical attacks on violence or something like that."
