Expert Says Homosexual Marriage Threatens Military Readiness

by Chad Groening
February 25, 2004

(AgapePress) - A conservative military pundit is delighted that President Bush has voiced his support for a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between one man and one woman. She says defending traditional marriage is more than just a civil and moral issue -- it's a matter of national security.

Center for Military Readiness president Elaine Donnelly is closely monitoring the Massachusetts legislature as it wrestles with the question of homosexual marriage. And she says she welcomes President Bush's call for a federal constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage.

"The ruling from Massachusetts makes it clear to the president that there really is no choice -- this is an important issue. It's something the courts should not be allowed to decide," Donnelly says. "The president does not sign a Constitutional amendment, of course, but he certainly can encourage it to be passed."

The military readiness expert says Pentagon officials are worried about what would happen if radical homosexual activists prevail in their efforts to redefine marriage. "That would be a blow to national security," she says.

Donnelly goes on to explain that the U.S. military's current policy and practice would likely be threatened if homosexual marriage gained legitimate status and recognition under the law. She says that situation could "set up a legal challenge -- one that would go to the heart of what Congress did in 1993 in passing a law that excluded gays from the military."

That homosexual exclusion statute was passed by both houses of Congress with veto-proof, bi-partisan majorities, and clearly states, "The prohibition against homosexual conduct is a long-standing element of military law that continues to be necessary in the unique circumstances of military service." The law also notes that the military must maintain policies that exclude all personnel whose presence "would create an unacceptable risk to the armed forces' high standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion that are the essence of military capability."

While the Center's spokeswoman hopes any court challenge involving members of the armed forces would ultimately be ruled in the U.S. military's favor, she says the present legal chaos, "with all of these marriages all of a sudden occurring" in Massachusetts, San Francisco, and elsewhere, makes the future seem very precarious.

"It's frightening to see judges and city officials defying the law. It creates a critical situation, so I commend the president for taking a serious step," Donnelly says.