Y2A
20th March 2004, 05:26
http://www.cwfa.org/main.asp
Top 10 Reasons to Support the Marriage Affirmation and Protection Amendment 3/10/2004
Reason #1
The people oppose same-sex marriage.
This is a government by the people, for the people.
Support for legalizing "gay marriage" in Massachusetts has dropped by 12 percentage points, from 48% in an earlier poll to 35%, according to a Boston Globe poll released February 21.
At the same time, opposition to the Supreme Judicial Court's (SJC) November 18 ruling increased by 14 percentage points, from 38% to 52%.
Some 71% of Massachusetts citizens said voters in a statewide referendum should decide the issue.
A December 2003 Zogby poll conducted in Massachusetts shows that 69% of the state's voters believe it is best for children to be raised in a household with a married mother and father.
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Reason #2
Same-sex marriage violates freedom of conscience.
You can't ignore the morality of millions of Americans.
Christians, Jews and Muslims would be forced to endorse behavior that they recognize as contrary to their beliefs.
The state would drive a wedge between children and parents as the public schools would teach that religious objections to homosexuality were hateful and bigoted. That is wrong.
Business-owners would be forced to subsidize and celebrate homosexuality, despite their personally held beliefs. Some companies and at least one federal agency have advised employees not to use the terms "husband" or "wife" in the office, but to use the word "partner" instead. That is wrong.
Many non-religious people also believe that homosexuality is wrong.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #3
You cannot redefine a timeless institution.
Marriage is what it is.
Marriage is not just a legal reality, but also an anthropological and sociological reality. It is under attack precisely because radicals want to legitimize their own lifestyles.
In a Village Voice article, "The Radical Case for Gay Marriage," Richard Goldstein notes that adoption of "marriage" by homosexuals will change the institution itself. "Generations of radicals have imagined a world in which the norm-making rules of matrimony are suspended. ... Down the road, we might see groups of people sharing the custody of children. …"1
Homosexual activist Michelangelo Signorile wrote that "gays" should seize marriage "not as a way of adhering to society's moral codes but rather to debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution." 2
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1. Richard Goldstein, "The Radical Case for Gay Marriage," Village Voice, September 3-9, 2003, p. 34.
2. Michelangelo Signorile, "Bridal Wave," OUT magazine, December/January 1994, p. 161.
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Reason #4
Every adult citizen already has equal rights.
It's never been about benefits.
Same-sex marriage activists claim that homosexuals must be allowed to "marry" in order to have the benefits and protections that only marriage provides. Wrong. The mayor of San Francisco and thousands of homosexual couples have defied that state's marriage laws and clearly exposed that it's never been about benefits. It's about destroying the definition of marriage.
The results of a December 2003 Zogby poll indicate that 73% of registered Massachusetts voters understand that homosexuals can provide for one another with arrangements already permitted in the law.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #5
If you eliminate the uniqueness of marriage, you destroy it.
Counterfeits cheapen the real thing.
Marriage is not discriminatory. Regardless of their sexual inclinations, men and women have equal rights to bond with an opposite sex spouse in matrimony. Removing an entire sex from the equation creates something other than marriage.
Marriage-the joining of the two sexes- is available to all, subject to age, blood and opposite-gender limitations. Removing such requirements removes the significance and uniqueness of the acquired status.
If homosexual "marriage" is permitted, there is no logical stopping point at which to deny marriage to any combinations of people who want to "marry."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #6
Same-sex marriage deprives children of a mother and father.
Creating fatherless or motherless families by design hurts children.
Human experience and a vast body of social science research show that married, mother-father households are best for children. Homosexual "marriage" denies children a mother and father. Even male/female cohabitation is dangerous for children - and homosexual "marriage" does not offer even this basic necessity for children.
"Children of divorced or unwed parents have lower grades… are more likely to be held back, and are more likely to drop out of high school." ± "Divorce and unmarried childbearing appear to have negative effects on children's physical health and life expectancy… The health disadvantages associated with being raised outside of intact marriages persist long into adulthood." ± "Children who live with their own two married parents enjoy better physical health, on average, than do children in other family forms." ± "Young teens whose parents stay married are also the least likely to experiment with tobacco or alcohol." Why Marriage Matters: Twenty-One Conclusions from the Social Sciences, Institute for American Values, 2002, pp. 10-13. Emphasis added.
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Reason #7
Same-sex marriage would weaken an already fragile institution.
Marriage needs protection, not redefinition.
Adultery, pre-marital sex, no-fault divorce, co-habitation, and absentee fathers and mothers have already weakened marriage. Adding homosexuality to the mix will only further destabilize marriage.
Married mother-father families best allow children to thrive. If we want to help the next generation, we must strengthen and protect marriage, not attack its core principles of a lifelong, faithful commitment between a man and a woman.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #8
Government should not endorse a deadly lifestyle.
Let's help people overcome harmful behavior.
Many practices associated with homosexual activity are physically dangerous. Legalizing same-sex "marriage" with the intent of promoting fidelity will not reduce health risks. Most "unsafe" sex acts among homosexuals occur in steady relationships.
A University of California study shows that human papillomavirus (HPV) is epidemic among homosexual men - 93% of HIV-positive men, 61% of non-HIV-positive men.
Studies in Omega: The Journal of Death and Dying and the International Journal of Epidemiology indicate that homosexuality can take decades off men's lives.
Homosexual households are more prone to domestic violence. "The incidence of domestic violence among gay men is nearly double that in the heterosexual population," according to D. Island and P. Letellier in Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them (New York: Haworth Press, 1991).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #9
The words of the Massachusetts Constitution have not changed.
A "right" to same-sex "marriage" has not suddenly appeared.
The words of the Massachusetts Constitution, on which the Supreme Judicial Court relied to declare the Commonwealth's marriage laws unconstitutional, have not changed. The marriage laws limiting marriage to a man and a woman have not changed.
The question is: At what point did the laws suddenly become discriminatory?
The Supreme Judicial Court apparently expects every Member of the Legislature and every citizen of the Commonwealth to accept without question that the great discovery occurred on November 18, 2003, when the Court issued its edict in Goodridge. Please don't fall for it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #10
Same-sex marriage hurts everybody.
Counterfeits cheapen the real thing.
Counterfeit money hurts us all - everyone's money is devalued. Counterfeit doctors hurt us all - patients die. Counterfeit marriage hurts us all - everyone suffers when motherless/fatherless children are kept from thriving in ways only married mother-father homes can provide. Redefining marriage inevitably leads to the end of marriage. The best example is what's happened in Scandinavia since same-sex marriage has been legalized: marriage has disappeared.
When government pretends something's a marriage that isn't, children are hurt, society is weakened, and anyone who objects is attacked.
Americans tolerate a wide range of lifestyles, belief and opinion - but not all are officially promoted in law. Where does the devaluing of marriage stop? Do we wait until "marriage" is imposed regardless of age, sex, blood or number of partners? Please don't let that happen. Future generations will thank you if you will stand up for what's right today.
Top 10 Reasons to Support the Marriage Affirmation and Protection Amendment 3/10/2004
Reason #1
The people oppose same-sex marriage.
This is a government by the people, for the people.
Support for legalizing "gay marriage" in Massachusetts has dropped by 12 percentage points, from 48% in an earlier poll to 35%, according to a Boston Globe poll released February 21.
At the same time, opposition to the Supreme Judicial Court's (SJC) November 18 ruling increased by 14 percentage points, from 38% to 52%.
Some 71% of Massachusetts citizens said voters in a statewide referendum should decide the issue.
A December 2003 Zogby poll conducted in Massachusetts shows that 69% of the state's voters believe it is best for children to be raised in a household with a married mother and father.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #2
Same-sex marriage violates freedom of conscience.
You can't ignore the morality of millions of Americans.
Christians, Jews and Muslims would be forced to endorse behavior that they recognize as contrary to their beliefs.
The state would drive a wedge between children and parents as the public schools would teach that religious objections to homosexuality were hateful and bigoted. That is wrong.
Business-owners would be forced to subsidize and celebrate homosexuality, despite their personally held beliefs. Some companies and at least one federal agency have advised employees not to use the terms "husband" or "wife" in the office, but to use the word "partner" instead. That is wrong.
Many non-religious people also believe that homosexuality is wrong.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #3
You cannot redefine a timeless institution.
Marriage is what it is.
Marriage is not just a legal reality, but also an anthropological and sociological reality. It is under attack precisely because radicals want to legitimize their own lifestyles.
In a Village Voice article, "The Radical Case for Gay Marriage," Richard Goldstein notes that adoption of "marriage" by homosexuals will change the institution itself. "Generations of radicals have imagined a world in which the norm-making rules of matrimony are suspended. ... Down the road, we might see groups of people sharing the custody of children. …"1
Homosexual activist Michelangelo Signorile wrote that "gays" should seize marriage "not as a way of adhering to society's moral codes but rather to debunk a myth and radically alter an archaic institution." 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Richard Goldstein, "The Radical Case for Gay Marriage," Village Voice, September 3-9, 2003, p. 34.
2. Michelangelo Signorile, "Bridal Wave," OUT magazine, December/January 1994, p. 161.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #4
Every adult citizen already has equal rights.
It's never been about benefits.
Same-sex marriage activists claim that homosexuals must be allowed to "marry" in order to have the benefits and protections that only marriage provides. Wrong. The mayor of San Francisco and thousands of homosexual couples have defied that state's marriage laws and clearly exposed that it's never been about benefits. It's about destroying the definition of marriage.
The results of a December 2003 Zogby poll indicate that 73% of registered Massachusetts voters understand that homosexuals can provide for one another with arrangements already permitted in the law.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #5
If you eliminate the uniqueness of marriage, you destroy it.
Counterfeits cheapen the real thing.
Marriage is not discriminatory. Regardless of their sexual inclinations, men and women have equal rights to bond with an opposite sex spouse in matrimony. Removing an entire sex from the equation creates something other than marriage.
Marriage-the joining of the two sexes- is available to all, subject to age, blood and opposite-gender limitations. Removing such requirements removes the significance and uniqueness of the acquired status.
If homosexual "marriage" is permitted, there is no logical stopping point at which to deny marriage to any combinations of people who want to "marry."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #6
Same-sex marriage deprives children of a mother and father.
Creating fatherless or motherless families by design hurts children.
Human experience and a vast body of social science research show that married, mother-father households are best for children. Homosexual "marriage" denies children a mother and father. Even male/female cohabitation is dangerous for children - and homosexual "marriage" does not offer even this basic necessity for children.
"Children of divorced or unwed parents have lower grades… are more likely to be held back, and are more likely to drop out of high school." ± "Divorce and unmarried childbearing appear to have negative effects on children's physical health and life expectancy… The health disadvantages associated with being raised outside of intact marriages persist long into adulthood." ± "Children who live with their own two married parents enjoy better physical health, on average, than do children in other family forms." ± "Young teens whose parents stay married are also the least likely to experiment with tobacco or alcohol." Why Marriage Matters: Twenty-One Conclusions from the Social Sciences, Institute for American Values, 2002, pp. 10-13. Emphasis added.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #7
Same-sex marriage would weaken an already fragile institution.
Marriage needs protection, not redefinition.
Adultery, pre-marital sex, no-fault divorce, co-habitation, and absentee fathers and mothers have already weakened marriage. Adding homosexuality to the mix will only further destabilize marriage.
Married mother-father families best allow children to thrive. If we want to help the next generation, we must strengthen and protect marriage, not attack its core principles of a lifelong, faithful commitment between a man and a woman.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #8
Government should not endorse a deadly lifestyle.
Let's help people overcome harmful behavior.
Many practices associated with homosexual activity are physically dangerous. Legalizing same-sex "marriage" with the intent of promoting fidelity will not reduce health risks. Most "unsafe" sex acts among homosexuals occur in steady relationships.
A University of California study shows that human papillomavirus (HPV) is epidemic among homosexual men - 93% of HIV-positive men, 61% of non-HIV-positive men.
Studies in Omega: The Journal of Death and Dying and the International Journal of Epidemiology indicate that homosexuality can take decades off men's lives.
Homosexual households are more prone to domestic violence. "The incidence of domestic violence among gay men is nearly double that in the heterosexual population," according to D. Island and P. Letellier in Men Who Beat the Men Who Love Them (New York: Haworth Press, 1991).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #9
The words of the Massachusetts Constitution have not changed.
A "right" to same-sex "marriage" has not suddenly appeared.
The words of the Massachusetts Constitution, on which the Supreme Judicial Court relied to declare the Commonwealth's marriage laws unconstitutional, have not changed. The marriage laws limiting marriage to a man and a woman have not changed.
The question is: At what point did the laws suddenly become discriminatory?
The Supreme Judicial Court apparently expects every Member of the Legislature and every citizen of the Commonwealth to accept without question that the great discovery occurred on November 18, 2003, when the Court issued its edict in Goodridge. Please don't fall for it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reason #10
Same-sex marriage hurts everybody.
Counterfeits cheapen the real thing.
Counterfeit money hurts us all - everyone's money is devalued. Counterfeit doctors hurt us all - patients die. Counterfeit marriage hurts us all - everyone suffers when motherless/fatherless children are kept from thriving in ways only married mother-father homes can provide. Redefining marriage inevitably leads to the end of marriage. The best example is what's happened in Scandinavia since same-sex marriage has been legalized: marriage has disappeared.
When government pretends something's a marriage that isn't, children are hurt, society is weakened, and anyone who objects is attacked.
Americans tolerate a wide range of lifestyles, belief and opinion - but not all are officially promoted in law. Where does the devaluing of marriage stop? Do we wait until "marriage" is imposed regardless of age, sex, blood or number of partners? Please don't let that happen. Future generations will thank you if you will stand up for what's right today.