February 10, 2011 – 9:00 am
James Thunder writes at The American Spectator:
"We have presumed that, if traditional marriage laws are unconstitutional, the remedy is to make marriage eligibility less restrictive and allow same-sex couples to marry. What if, instead, we chose an alternative method to meet constitutional requirements, namely, revising our marriage laws to make them more restrictive?"
The results may surprise you.
For those of you who want to get right to Thunder's eventual answer:
This thought experiment demonstrates that current marriage law is tailored to fit -- as tightly as we should dare go -- the justification of "responsible procreation" for traditional marriage of one man and one woman.
Traditional marriage reflects and upholds who we are. Biologically, we are of two genders and only women can bear children. While women can bear children without benefit of marriage, marriage does indeed provide a benefit -- in the first instance to the children, and second, to the mother, the father, and society. The focus of traditional marriage is on the needs of children, not, as one brief put it, on "the glorification of the adult self." If the institution of marriage is not focused on children, but rather, as the opponents of Prop 8 assert, on the affective emotions of the adults, then government has no particular interest in the institution because it has no particular interest in the (mere) lifelong companionship of adults.
February 9, 2011 – 7:45 pm
Dr. Morse is testifying now: "Redefining marriage redefines parenthood. The legal presumption of paternity are presumed to be the child of her husband. Marriage equality requires a change from the presumption of paternity to the gender-neutral presumption of parenthood."
She continues: "Are you really prepared to accept responsibility for detaching legal parenthood from biology? Are you ready for three or four legal parents? Are you ready for contract parenting? That is what's coming...
If will take at least 30 years to see the impact of redefining marriage just as it has taken a full generation to see the impact of no-fault divorce."
She goes on to highlight the "pettiness" of gay couples suing wedding photographers: "As if you have a right to have your picture taken by the photographer of your choice." Good line.
She ends with "Stay strong - you have history on your side!"
February 9, 2011 – 7:43 pm
I just got out of the hearing room. Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse is about to speak (we should have tapes of both available later on).
The hallways are jammed with people from both sides. The argument that marriage, if it is to be redefined, clearly is resonating. The people of Rhode Island want to be heard.
The representatives appear to be really struggling. They are clearly getting a massive number of phone calls. Rep. Lima is looking for some way to satisfy both sides by putting gay marriage in a separate section of the bill. She also is concerned with what happens in say, Providence College's married housing.
She almost got the pro-gay marriage lawyers to say they'd agree to protect Providence College's right to reserve married housing to opposite-sex couples. The lawyer said the issue had not been litigated--and then backtracked and says that shows conscience protection is not needed. Both in Maryland and Rhode Island the gay marriage folks appear resolutely set against adding conscience protections, on the grounds that they say it's not necessary.
If gay marriage will not impact religious liberty, why not codify that with conscience protections? Why oppose them? Saying you don't want to "clutter" the bill with "caveats" is not very persuasive.
Two young people testified for gay marriage, and now two young people are testifying against gay marriage. Waiting for Dr. Morse to speak...
February 9, 2011 – 4:36 pm
I'm sitting next to Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse of the Ruth Institute, who's also testifying. What is she doing right now? She's posting photos of the hearing to her Facebook page.
February 9, 2011 – 4:12 pm
It's half an hour before the hearing starts. They just allowed those of us who will speak back into the room. The crowd gets larger and larger. I spent my time in the hallway talking to a number of marriage supporters. Roberta Short, 32, lives in Cranston, a beautiful strawberry-blond married woman with two kids. She works part-time as a book-keeper. She found out about the hearing because of NOM's facebook page. I asked her why she was here. She told me, "I think Rhode Islanders have a right to vote on marriage. 113 people shouldn't redefine marriage for everyone in Rhode Island." I asked her if she had a chance how she would vote and she told me, "I would vote for traditional marriage because children need and deserve a mom and dad."
I was leaning over to speak with another marriage supporter, and realized I was rudely talking over a rather colorful gay-marriage supporter named Edgar. Edgar is 77. He has a long white beard, and was wearing a blue plaid shirt over a rainbow t-shirt. The aging hippie look, I'd call it. He told me that he likes men and women: "I slept with a woman for three years but I couldn't marry her becuase I also like men." I paused and said to him, "Well, gay marriage isnt going to solve your problems is it?" And we both chuckled. He agreed and told me, "I'm too old for military service and I don't think I'm going to get married. It's not personal with me."
February 9, 2011 – 3:35 pm
It's about an hour before the hearing starts. Police have politely cleared the room to set it up and we're standing in the hall. There are probably about 50 people here right now with many, many folks wearing blue "one man, one woman = marriage" t-shirts.
February 9, 2011 – 3:00 pm
From the Providence Journal's politics blog:
The State House debate over same-sex marriage will play out in three forums on Wednesday: a press conference, a rally and then a House Judiciary Committee hearing.
It will begin with the 2:45 p.m. press conference called by [NOM Rhode Island].
Speakers will include Maggie Gallagher, the chairwoman of the National Organization for Marriage, Christopher Plante, the executive director of the local NOM chapter, Austin Nimocks, who is identified as the "Senior Counsel Alliance Defense Fund,''' Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, president and founder of the Ruth Institute, which is described as a project of NOM, state Sen. Harold Metts and state Rep. Raymond Hull.
At the press conference, these opponents of same-sex marriage pledge a vigorous campaign to "defeat efforts by House Leadership and Governor Chafee to impose same-sex marriage on Rhode Island with no vote of the people,'' according to a statement issued by the national group.
...After the House adjourns for the day, the House Judiciary Committee hearing will begin on two bills. One would legalize gay nuptials. The other, backed by the opponents, seeks a referendum on amending the state Constitution to specifically limit marriage to a man and a woman. [source]
February 9, 2011 – 1:44 pm
Some sample comments made in defense of traditional marriage at yesterday's hearing on SSM in Maryland:
Martha Schaerr, Montgomery County School Board candidate: "Marriage is about children and the good of society. To change it to adult love changes the definition of marriage.”
Maggie Gallagher ''The reason that marriage is a virtually universal human social institution that reoccurs again and again in different cultures, and different religious backgrounds, is that humanity recognizes that we need a special institution to bring together a male and female to make and raise the next generation. 'To get to gay marriage requires that we repudiate this as a public purpose of marriage . . . way that we can give our children the benefit of a mother and father in a single family is to first pledge to a permanent, faithful, sexually exclusive union of man and woman.''
Austin Nimocks, senior legal counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund: “The legislation before you is inconsistent with the purposes of Maryland’s marriage laws. Men and women still comprise the two great halves of humanity."
Derek McCoy, president of the Association of Maryland Families: "Your concerns should not be on pandering to the political mood of the day . . . Marriage is between a man and a woman.” [source: TBD.com]
Our own Maggie Gallagher and Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse are in Rhode Island today testifying at the hearing on SSM.
February 9, 2011 – 10:00 am
Is Marriage on the decline?
WaPo reports that a study shows the recession has weighed heavily on American marriages ... but there is a silver lining: "About a third of the couples surveyed said the recession had prompted them to work harder on saving their marriage."
There is also good news for those who work to stay married: "In 2007, after reviewing research on the health effects of matrimony, the Department of Health and Human Services issued a 68-page report that found that, in general, married people are happier, live longer, drink less and even have fewer doctor's appointments than unmarried folks."
National Marriage Week continues, as reported by Heritage:
National Marriage Week is underway! Beginning today and culminating on Valentine’s Day, hundreds of organizations, community groups, and religious institutions will spend a week celebrating the benefits of marriage and encouraging married couples across the country to remain committed to lifelong love.
Remember the marriage gap for college-educated women? It's gone.
Paula Szuchman at the WSJ asks if the key to happy marriages is "mom cooks, dad plays?"
Cristen Conger, meanwhile, somewhat haplessly tries to make the case that marriage doesn't make much of a difference to a relationship.
Meanwhile Daniel Estrin writes about Egypt's "apolitical frustration", namely, the poverty that keeps people from getting married.
February 9, 2011 – 9:00 am
LifeSiteNews:
The Christian owners of the UK Bed & Breakfast who recently went to court for refusing to provide a double room to a homosexual couple, say they are now being deluged with offensive phone calls and blasphemous, obscene emails.
As you can see from the picture - they have supporters as well as detractors.
February 8, 2011 – 6:14 pm
Maggie Gallagher, fresh from testifying in Annapolis today, will fly to Providence, RI tomorrow to testify - and blog and tweet - about the hearings on SSM there. The Ruth Institute's Dr. Jennifer Roeback Morse will also be there to testify to the importance of protecting marriage as the union of husband and wife.
If we can locate a website where the hearings are streamed online, we'll share that here. Otherwise stay tuned hear for breaking news from the hearing room.
From the 
