Oppose Federal Marriage Amendment 2004 Action of Immediate Witness

WHEREAS the Unitarian Universalist Association has made strong public announcements that “Civil Marriage is a Civil Right” ;

WHEREAS several prominent national political leaders have proposed an amendment to the United States Constitution that would deny the rights and privileges of civil marriage to same-gender couples;

WHEREAS The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) of 1996 stipulates that marriage is between a man and a woman;

WHEREAS the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruled that same-sex and opposite-sex couples must be given equal civil marriage rights, effective May 17, 2004;

WHEREAS half of the plaintiffs in the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruling were Unitarian Universalists;

WHEREAS a coalition of twenty religious groups is opposed to this amendment, including the Unitarian Universalist Association, the Episcopal Church USA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and the Union for Reform Judaism;

WHEREAS the amendment denying marriage equality for same-gender couples is currently being considered by the Congress of the United States and is scheduled for consideration by the Senate during the week of July 12, 2004; and

WHEREAS this would be the only amendment to the Constitution that denies rights to any group and therefore undermines the intent of that great document;

BE IT RESOLVED that the members and congregations of the Unitarian Universalist Association urge their legislators to vote against the proposed “Federal Marriage Amendment” (H.R. Res. 56); and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the UUA Office of Advocacy and Witness take appropriate action to advocate against any attempt to deny civil marriage rights to same-gender couples.