Ohio House Wrestles with Senate Version of 'Super DOMA'
by Chad Groening and Jenni Parker
January 29, 2004
(AgapePress) - An Ohio-based pro-family organization is concerned about pressure being put on Governor Bob Taft to veto the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in that state.
The Ohio DOMA is now back in the state's House of Representatives, where legislators are dealing with two amendments passed in the Senate version. David Miller, the vice president of Citizens for Community Values in Cincinnati, says the delay is giving homosexual activists more time to work on Governor Taft.
"It appears that the Senate amendments held it up," Miller says, "and so it has been postponed pending further review. And we're actually concerned because homosexual activists have been calling [Governor Taft] and asking him to veto or hold up the bill."
This bill is important, Miller notes, because it is necessary to head off efforts by homosexual activists to legitimize homosexual marriage. He says his group is encouraging Ohioans to contact the governor and urge him to sign the Defense of Marriage Act as soon as possible.
Gary Bauer of the Washington, DC-based Campaign for Working Families says he is encouraged by the efforts of state government leaders like those in Ohio who are working to pass DOMA legislation. He says he hopes Washington will take note and soon follow their example.
"While efforts to defend traditional marriage appear stalled in Washington," Bauer says, "the states are showing no such reticence to protect the institution of marriage as the union of one man and one woman."
He cites the "super DOMA" passed by the Ohio Senate last week as a particularly positive example: the version the Senate sent back to the House not only bans homosexual "marriage" but also prohibits civil unions and domestic partnerships.
Bauer has high hopes for this act which, once signed into law, would make Ohio the 38th state in the nation to pass such a DOMA -- 38 being the exact number of states needed to ratify an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Meanwhile, the conservative spokesman points out that the Virginia House of Delegates has overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment that not only protects marriage but also rejects other forms of "faux marriage," such as civil unions.
"I am encouraged by these early signs that the governments closest to the people are boldly rejecting efforts to redefine marriage," Bauer says. He adds, "Hopefully Washington will catch on sooner rather than later."
