Bush Fabricates Threat To Marriage, Blames ‘Activist Judges’

[kpete]

Bush Fabricates Threat To Marriage, Blames ‘Activist Judges’
Yesterday President Bush tried to justify a federal constitutional ban on same-sex marriage by blaming “activist judges”:

Unfortunately, this consensus is being undermined by activist judges and local officials who have struck down state laws protecting marriage and made an aggressive attempt to redefine marriage.

But this threat is being exaggerated by Bush and the right wing. In reality, the judiciary has played a very small role in defining marriage and traditional marriage is not under attack:

– Same-sex marriage “has been recognized in only 1 of the 50 states as the result of court order.”

– While only one state, Massachusetts, allows same-sex marriage, forty-five states have barred the practice under state statutes or state constitutional amendments.

– Nebraska is the only state that has its marriage amendment overturned. The court invalidated the amendment because it was drafted so broadly that it would have prohibited every type of same-sex relationship, not just same-sex marriage. But the decision did not order the state to recognize same-sex marriages. The case is now under appeal.

More debunking of Bush’s myths on same-sex marriage here:
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=1736995
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/06/06/bush-fabricates-threat/