Arizona court upholds gay marriage ban

[Kadie]

Arizona court upholds gay marriage ban

By PAUL DAVENPORT, Associated Press
Last Updated: May 26, 2004, 07:52:39 AM PDT


PHOENIX (AP) - A gay couple's challenge to Arizona's ban on same-sex marriages has been turned away by the state Supreme Court.

Without comment Tuesday, the state's highest court let stand an appeals court ruling that upheld the 1996 state law.

Phoenix couple Don Standhardt and Tod Keltner in December asked the high court to review the Court of Appeals decision, arguing the statute discriminates against gay couples and their children by violating the state Constitution's privacy and equal treatment clauses.

The Court of Appeals had held in October that there is no fundamental constitutional right to same-sex marriage. It found that the state has a rational basis for prohibiting same-sex marriage because of goals related to procreation and child-rearing.

more... http://www.modbee.com/24hour/nation/story/1396705p-8663818c.html

[phantom power]

1. LOL! Cuz we just don't have enough people here in AZ

We've *got* to prevent those gays from slowing our population explosion!

[Oaklander]

2. Can't have all of the happy, committed people getting married now, can we?

I mean, imagine the carnage on our streets if loving, committed adults are allowed to marry and raise a family!!!

[Virginian]

3. because of goals related to procreation and child-rearing

When are they going to start with age descrimination, too?

Age interferes with procreation, too.

Are they going to restrict marriage only to young, fertile, straight couples?

If you are a young, straight couple and you don't reproduce within a certain number of years, are they going to nullify your marriage?

[Boat Guy]

4. No babies, no bennies

Those same young, straight, childless couples should also lose all their marriage-related benefits: no tax breaks, insurance coverage, etc. After all, it should be clear they're just using marriage as an excuse to get all these goodies without fulfilling their diety-mandated procreative obligations.

[phantom power]

5. I bet this is some obsolete residue...

from Manifest Destiny. Those long-gone pioneer days, or something. Got to fill the savage wilderness with *people*, you know.

Some days I think this state is populated by frustrated urban cowboys, still pretending that the southwest hasn't been domesticated for decades.