| Marriage amendment returns |
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| Written by David Grunke -Argonaut | ||||||
| Friday, 27 January 2006 | ||||||
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Idaho lawmakers are again targeting the issue of gay marriage. The 2006
Idaho legislative session will mark the third consecutive attempt by
some Idaho lawmakers to vote on a constitutional amendment to ban gay
marriage. The amendment, printed Tuesday, specifically states, “A marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this state.” If passed, Idaho would be the 18th state to have such an amendment on the books. In the past two years, similar amendments have failed in the legislature, but only by narrow margins. In 2004, the proposed amendment passed the House before dying in the Senate. The following year, Senate Joint Resolution 101 failed in the Idaho Senate by a vote of 21-14, three votes short of the supermajority required to pass a constitutional amendment. Some believe the legislation will finally succeed in passing both houses and moving on to voter referendum in 2006. “The signal that we’ve gotten from legislative leadership on the House and Senate side is they’d like to see an amendment go forward,” Bryan Fischer told the Idaho Statesman earlier this month. Fischer, the executive director of the conservative group Idaho Values Alliance, is one of the most outspoken proponents of the legislation. The group targets “values-based” issues such as ending gay marriage and abortion, as well as passing tougher laws against sexual predators. In a position piece from idahovaluealliance.com, Fischer states, “Any weakening of the traditional Judeo-Christian definition of marriage will undermine the foundation of Western culture and result in deep, permanent fractures that will fundamentally alter American culture and all of Western civilization.” But after the Idaho legislature voted to ban gay marriage in Idaho in 1997, some may wonder why altering Idaho’s constitution is necessary. “An amendment to the state constitution is necessary to protect marriage from activist judges who legislate from the bench and overturn the will of the people and their elected representatives,” Fischer said. Laws against gay marriage have come under fire in a handful of states. Two lower courts in Washington have found such laws unconstitutional; the issue is currently up for review by the state Supreme Court. Tennessee and California are facing similar challenges to their gay marriage laws. Some conservatives fear these cases could spread into other states, including Idaho, if gay marriage bans are not protected by state constitutions. “If (gay marriage) is already against the law, this isn’t really necessary,” said Avery Stiles, a transfer student majoring in chemistry. “It’s pretty stupid.” ASUI leaders vocalized their opposition to the proposed amendment in senate resolution S06-01. The language concerning the amendment was cut from the document. ASUI pro-tempore James Fox said another attempt to pass a similar resolution is likely. Some ASUI senators said they would support a new resolution opposing the ban. The amendment is currently in the House State Affairs Committee, which is expected to vote to send the legislation to the House floor in early February.  Add as favorites (144) | Views: 3974
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