Marriage Defenders Lose Ground in Maryland, Move Forward in Virginia

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(AgapePress) - A Christian activist says a dark shadow has been cast over traditional marriage in Maryland. Last week, a trial court struck down a state law banning same-sex "marriage" on the basis that it violated the Equal Rights Amendment, or ERA.
In 1972 voters in Maryland ratified the ERA, which stated that a person should not be denied rights because of their sex. The next year the General Assembly passed a law recognizing only traditional marriage. Now, however, Judge M. Brooke Murdock has ruled that the state's marriage law violated the ERA.
Tres Kerns, executive director of VoteMarriage.org, says a poll taken last year showed overwhelming support for traditional marriage. "We reached over 20,000 homes in the state and literally over 70 percent of them agreed with it," he says. "Even in what we would call the most liberal area, which is Rockville, Maryland, 55 percent of the people said they believe that marriage is between a man and a woman."
Hence, Kerns contends, "It's clear what the citizens of Maryland want." He says the case will be appealed and, at the same time, an effort is under way to amend the state constitution to protect traditional marriage.
"We are in a real battle here for our families," the traditional marriage advocate says. "The family's been under attack for a long time. You just can't sit on the sidelines." Those who are doing that are "acquiescing to the aggressor," he contends.
"The aggressor is the people who are against the family and want to destroy the family as we know it so they can do whatever they want," Kerns declares. "It's what I call sexual anarchy, and we've got to stop that."
Meanwhile, in nearby Virginia, the lengthy, nearly two-year process of amending that state's constitution took another small step forward as the Senate voted to give Commonwealth citizens the opportunity to weigh in on the definition of marriage.
Victoria Cobb, executive director of the Family Foundation, is hailing this latest bit of progress in the marriage protection battle. "Virginians will now have nearly ten months to consider this question before casting their ballot in November," she notes.
However, Cobb points out, "Opponents to traditional marriage are well funded and are already on the offensive. While we have little doubt that the vast majority of Virginians support this amendment and will vote in favor of it in 2006, we will not sit by and allow those opposed to traditional marriage to dominate the debate."
The Family Foundation spokeswoman says that group has, along with several other pro-family groups in Virginia, helped to create "VA4Marriage.org" to lead the push to get the state's marriage amendment passed. The pro-family project includes a website, voter registration and get-out-the-vote efforts, as well as representatives ready to speak on the amendment at community and church meetings. Radio, TV, and newspaper ads are also planned as part of an extensive media campaign.