|
McClatchy Newspapers...
Obama
backing marriage act repeal
effort
By Christine Mai-Duc
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
WASHINGTON
- President Barack Obama
endorsed a bill by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California to
repeal the
federal Defense of Marriage Act, another step in what the president has
termed
his evolving views on same-sex marriage.
“The
president has long called for a
legislative repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which
continues to
have a real impact on the lives of real people - our families, friends
and
neighbors,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said yesterday. “He
is proud
to support the Respect for Marriage Act.”
Opponents
of same-sex marriage said
they were disappointed but not surprised. DOMA, passed by Congress in
1996 and
signed into law by President Bill Clinton, defines marriage as a legal
union
between one man and one woman, denies federal benefits to same-sex
married
couples and allows states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages
granted in
other states.
“There
is zero chance that Congress is
going to repeal DOMA anytime soon, so this is primarily political
theatrics on
President Obama’s part,” said Maggie Gallagher, chair of the National
Organization for Marriage, an advocacy group that opposes gay marriage.
In
the past, Obama has voiced support
for civil unions for gay couples, but stopped short of supporting
same-sex
marriage.
Earlier
this year, the administration
announced that it no longer would defend DOMA in court, although the
administration said it would continue to enforce the law unless it is
repealed.
Advocates
of the repeal were elated at
the news.
“It
is rare that a White House
endorses a bill that has yet to pass first in either the Senate or the
House,”
Rick Jacobs, chairman of the gay-rights advocacy group Courage
Campaign, said
in a statement. “His support makes clear to all Americans that the
Defense of
Marriage Act has no place in our society.”
Despite
Obama’s support, the bill
faces long odds.
Feinstein
plans to make the case that
DOMA should be repealed because the issue should be left to the states.
Read
the McClatchy Newspapers story at
the Columbus Dispatch
|
