OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Marriage Protection Amendment

Date: Sept. 30, 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Conservative Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity


MARRIAGE PROTECTION AMENDMENT -- (House of Representatives - September 30, 2004)

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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, the question facing this Congress today is simple and straightforward. Should we amend the Constitution of this great Nation to restrict the rights and limit the freedoms of citizens of the United States. Our Constitution has been used to protect the rights of the minority against the sometimes discriminatory impulses of the majority. We must not today write discrimination into the very Constitution that has stood as a bulwark against discrimination. We must not enshrine injustice into a document meant to serve justice.

I don't often agree with Vice President CHENEY, but on this issue he is right. This issue should be left to our State legislatures.

This Nation confronts many pressing challenges-the war on terrorism, jobs and the economy, and the many other issues that demand our attention. We should not be spending our time on a divisive, politically motivated issue that responds to a non-existent problem.

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