TOPEKA, Kansas — U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp of Kansas vowed Wednesday to introduce a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage across the nation, blasting the U.S. Supreme Court rulings in two same-sex marriage cases.
“These unelected judges have allowed the desires of adults to trump the needs of children,” said Huelskamp.
The Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), that denies federal benefits to legally married gay couples. It also cleared the way for same-sex marriage in California, though the high court said nothing about gay marriage bans in other states.
“Five activist justices have short-circuited the democratic process,” he said, in a statement posted on his website. “This radical usurpation of legislative and popular authority will not end the debate over marriage in this country. Congress clearly must respond to these bad decisions.”
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“As a result, I plan to introduce the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) to amend the United States Constitution to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman,” Huelskamp announced.
The last Congressional vote to take place on a proposed federal marriage amendment occurred in the U.S. House in 2006, when the Amendment failed 236 yea to 187 nay votes, falling short of the 290 yea votes required for passage in that body.
Observers say Huelskamp’s bill would go nowhere, as he would need the support of more than 50 House Democrats, and the Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate.
Huelskamp has previously proposed legislation to prohibit gay and lesbian service members from marrying on U.S. military bases, add an amendment to a Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill to reaffirm DOMA, and denounced a lesbian couple’s commitment ceremony held at a U.S. Army chapel.
