I am about to go vote AGAINST Amendment One!
calling for the constitutional discrimination against a specific group of citizens, and denying benefits to families because they are part of this 'group' is most certainly hateful. Franklin Graham is now on a TV ad promoting it. His father, Billy promotes it also.
I'm afraid this may pass with most not having been told the full ramifications.
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Bill info
The long title of Senate Bill 514 is: "An Act to Amend the Constitution to Provide That Marriage Between One Man and One Woman is the Only Domestic Legal Union That Shall Be Valid or Recognized in This State."
The bill proposes to add a new section to article XIV, which covers miscellaneous provisions. The sections of the bill are as follows.
Section 1"Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State. This section does not prohibit a private party from entering into contracts with another private party; nor does this section prohibit courts from adjudicating the rights of private parties pursuant to such contracts."
The bill appears to prevent not only same-sex marriages, but civil unions.
Section 2Specifies that the amendment shall be submitted to voters, and defines the ballot text.
Section 3Specifies that a simple majority vote is required for approval.
Sections 4 and 5Specify that the amendment will become effective when it is certified by the Secretary of State.
Supporters of the amendment will try to define it as only a choice on gay marriage while ignoring the harm it could cause to children, to our seniors and to victims of domestic violence.
Amendment One is a poorly written law that will have serious negative, unintended and harmful consequences on North Carolina’s children and families. The truth is that Amendment One is bad for North Carolina for the following reasons.
1. Harm To North Carolina’s Children
Amendment One will harm children and we have a role in protecting all of North Carolina’s children. This amendment could make it impossible for parents in committed, but unmarried relationships, to provide health care benefits to children in their household. In tough times like this we should not make it harder to raise a family and protect children.
2. Negative Effects on NC Seniors
Amendment One will hurt some of our seniors. Many older people who have previously lost spouses, but find love later in life never remarry, even though they are committed to their new partner. They do this to protect the benefits their previous spouse earned including health care, pensions, and Social Security, and Amendment One puts those benefits at jeopardy.
3. Dangerous Consequences for NC Women
Amendment One threatens domestic violence protections for unmarried women. Domestic violence protections for unmarried women could be declared unconstitutional because Amendment One legally recognizes only married couples as a family. Women deserve protections from domestic violence whether they are married or not.
Women deserve protections from domestic violence and stalking whether they are married or not. According to the Attorney General, leading experts at Duke and UNC law schools, and the state's Women's Commission, this amendment could take away those protections against violent acts from women whether they are married to their attacker or not. That’s wrong and dangerous.
***For example: An amendment similar to Amendment One caused Ohio courts to throw out domestic violence convictions. When an almost identical state amendment passed in Ohio, the courts there overturned 27 cases against attackers of unmarried women because the amendment meant that the state could only recognize married couples as a legal relationship with protected status.
http://www.ncdp.org/pages/741/
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