House Speaker John A. Boehner announced on Friday that the chamber will take action to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. On February 23, President Obama and the Justice Department announced that they would no longer be defending the federal law that defines marriage as between one man and one woman and protects states from being forced to acknowledge same-sex marriages performed in other jurisdictions.
Convening a meeting of the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group is the first step that Congress must take to defend DOMA. The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group is comprised of the top three House Republicans and the top two House Democrats. That ought to be interesting gathering! Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi as come out squarely against the defense of DOMA stating: “I oppose Speaker Boehner’s effort to put the House in the position of defending this indefensible statute.”
While House Speaker Boehner’s statement included: “It is regrettable that the Obama administration has opened this divisive issue at a time when Americans want their leaders to focus on jobs and the challenges facing our economy… The constitutionality of this law should be determined by the courts – not by the president unilaterally – and this action by the House will ensure the matter is addressed in a manner consistent with our Constitution.”
Thank you to all of you who have kept the defense of DOMA at the forefront and contacted your representatives to tell them to defend the Defense of Marriage Act. United Families International encourages the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group to move quickly and provide the support necessary to protect this crucial statute that was passed in 1996 with overwhelming bipartisan support.