Defend Marriage

(Click here to see a  STATE BY STATE ANALYSIS of MARRIAGE LAWS AND AMENDMENTS)

The mission of Defend Marriage is to help protect the institutions of traditional marriage and the natural family from the growing threats they face today. We carry out our mission primarily through educating the public, policy makers and the media about these threats and the serious negative impacts they are having on our nation. We also conduct legal research, help shape public opinion on these issues and support policies and legislation that will strengthen marriage and the family.

Defend Marriage believes that the effort by homosexual activists and their liberal allies to force the legalization of same-sex "marriage" is the most serious new threat to traditional marriage and the family. Currently, our primary focus is to defend marriage internationally as the union of one man and one woman.

Opinion polls show that a substantial majority of Americans oppose same-sex "marriage." But that does not mean it will be easy to stop the effort to legalize it. Homosexual activists know that even in the most liberal states, they stand little chance of legalizing same-sex "marriage" through the legislative process. As a result, they are waging their campaign in the courts. They have filed lawsuits in several liberal states in hopes that liberal judges in at least one of these states will rule favorably and legalize same-sex "marriage" in that state.

In 2003, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court handed down such a ruling legalizing same-sex "marriage." That set the stage for the next step in the game plan of the homosexual activists to force all states to accept same-sex "marriage." That is to apply a provision of the U.S. Constitution, the "Full Faith and Credit Clause," to force all the other states to also recognize the legality of same-sex "marriages."

Because this strategy uses the court system, it is more difficult to stop than a legislation-based campaign. Once any state court legalizes same-sex "marriage," there is only one sure way to protect the citizens in all the other states from being forced to also accept the legality of same-sex "marriage." That way is to amend the U.S. Constitution to prevent the application of the Full Faith and Credit Clause to marriage. Defend Marriage is making passage of a constitutional amendment that will accomplish this our top priority in the U.S. An amendment which seeks to do this, House Joint Resolution 56, has been introduced in the United States House of Representatives. Other amendments may also be introduced.

Amending the Constitution is a difficult process; it has been done on only 17 occasions in the history of the United States. But it can be done -- and Defend Marriage believes it must be done -- to neutralize this threat.

Defend Marriage is a project of United Families International, a 501 (c )(3) organization, meaning that contributions to support Defend Marriage are tax deductible. You can make a contribution online or you can print out a form to mail in a contribution.