ACTION ALERT
House to vote on religious definition of marriage
Update: We won! The House vote was 236 to 187, so this constitutional amendment failed to obtain the necessary two-thirds majority. To see how your member of Congress voted, go to http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll378.xml A "NAY" voting member of Congress should be thanked, and a "YEA" voter should be reprimanded.
Jul. 13, 2006 - The House vote on the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment is expected to take place next week. Since the Amendment failed in the Senate, the House vote will have no effect. However, the debate and vote are proceeding, apparently to appease the religious right. Whether you strongly object to the content of the Amendment, which would enshrine a theologically-based definition of marriage (same-sex couples would be prohibited from obtaining civil marriage contracts) into the Constitution), or whether you are just fed up with Congress doing the bidding of the religious right even when it has absolutely no legal effect, please contact your House Representative to urge a vote of NO on the marriage amendment.
Take a stand: Contact your Representative in the House and urge her/him to vote against the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment.
You can contact your Representative through her/his website or through the Legislator/Media Lookup by Zip Code.
Below you will find a sample letter regarding this issue. Please feel free to adapt it to your voice, and to add any additional information of importance to you:
Dear Representative ________________,
I urge you to vote NO on the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment".
The U.S. Senate rejected an amendment to the United States Constitution which would have limited civil marriage to only opposite sex couples. Yet the House is now ready to debate and vote on the same amendment. I do not appreciate Congress bringing up matters which will have no legal effect, merely to follow the directions given them by the religious right.
Furthermore, I oppose the content of the bill, which would define civil marriage rights in theological terms. I am a nontheistic American, and I respect any religion's right to decide who they will and will not marry. The First Amendment gives every religious organization the right to make these decisions regardless of civil recognition of marriage contracts. I do not believe, however, that civil laws should be decided on the basis of specific theological doctrines.
Sincerely,
Your signature