Washington D.C., Jun 4, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has sent a letter to US Senators asking them to vote in favor of a proposed Federal Amendment prohibiting same-sex “marriages.”
Romney, who many consider a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2008, said that the argument should not be seen as anti-homosexual. The governor insisted that while he is opposed to bigotry and disparagement, this debate, “is not a debate over tolerance. It is a debate about the purpose of the institution of marriage.”
“Attaching the word marriage to the association of same-sex individuals mistakenly presumes that marriage is principally a matter of adult benefits and adult rights,” Romney said.
Instead, Romney maintained, marriage is primarily about raising children. And, he said, the ideal setting for raising a child is in a home with a mother and a father.
In February 2004, Romney’s state was the first to legalize same-sex “marriage” due to a ruling of the Supreme Court of Massachusetts. This, Romney said, gives him a unique perspective on the issue.
“Although the full impact of same-sex marriage may not be measured for decades or generations,” the governor said, “we are beginning to see the effects of the new legal logic in Massachusetts just two years into our state’s social experiment.”
Romney said that an amendment is necessary to protect marriage from, “judges like those here in Massachusetts who think that marriage is an evolving paradigm, and that the traditional definition is rooted in persistent prejudices and amounts to invidious discrimination.”
Arguing against a movement in favor of leaving the issue to individual states, Romney said that a federal amendment is necessary because, “marriage is not just an activity or practice which is confined to the border of any one state.”
“Your vote on this amendment,” Romney wrote in closing, “should not be guided by a concern for adult rights. This matter goes to the development and well-being of children.”
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