Battle for marriage ‘has just begun’ says family group after Senate blocks amendment

Washington D.C., Jul 14, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The vote against the Federal Marriage Amendment in the Senate shows just how little regard senators have for the will of the people, said Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins yesterday.

The constitutional amendment, which would have preserved the definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, had been debated both in and out of the Senate for months. However, senators only cast their votes yesterday.

Recent polls indicate that between 60 and 70 percent of Americans want marriage to remain one man, one woman, Perkins noted. In addition, nine states are poised to have state constitutional amendments on their ballots this fall on marriage.

“Americans realize that the protection of marriage is vital to the future of the family, the welfare of children and the security of our nation,” he said.

"The Senate's vote today has left the future of marriage in the hands of unelected judges, at least for the time being.”

Perkins vowed in a press release that the “fight [for marriage] has just begun.”

The FRC said pro-family groups have benefited from the debate over the past few days.

“Every time this issue is forced into the public square, the opposition to same-sex 'marriage' among the American public grows,” said Perkins. “Second, we now know which Senators are for traditional marriage and which ones are not, and by November, so will voters in every state.”

The FRC is promoting "thank you" or "shame you" messages to senators at: http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=AL04G05