Brian Brown answers the question "Should Gay Marriage Be Legal Nationwide" asked in the Debate Club hosted at U.S. News & World Report:

Nationally Legal Gay Marriage Puts Churches at Risk

The real question that faces the nation is this: Should the U.S. Supreme Court or Congress invalidate the marriage laws of 44 states and eviscerate 30 state constitutions in order to redefine marriage to make it genderless? Properly understanding the question, the obvious answer is no.

It is a fundamental misunderstanding of the marriage debate to think that same-sex marriage would exist in the law alongside traditional marriage as simply a new and different expression of the same marriage institution Americans have always known. What is at stake is two competing definitions of marriage—the union of any two people regardless of gender, versus the collective understanding of virtually every nation throughout recorded history that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. [Continue reading]

Be sure to vote in the related online poll about the definition of marriage!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 7, 2011
CONTACT: Elizabeth Ray at 703-683-5004

Groups Seek to Highlight Republicans' Positions on Important Life, Marriage Issues

Washington, D.C. – Two of the country's largest social conservative groups, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List), have announced a joint voter guide which was unveiled today at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C.

Brain Brown, President of the National Organization for Marriage, wants both candidates and voters to keep in mind the importance social issues, especially the support of traditional marriage, will play in this election.

"Americans care about marriage and about leaders with the courage to defend their values,"explained Brown. "This voter guide for life and marriage helps break through the clutter to show who has been willing to move beyond talk to making clear commitments to act to protect marriage. The marriage issue is going to play a bigger role in 2012 than last cycle because the differences between the party nominees will be so large and so clear."

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a national pro-life organization, explained the guide is designed to give Values Voter straw poll goers the information necessary to vote for the Republican Presidential candidate who is most in-line with the pro-life movement and the issues most important to their cause.
"Priority number one for the pro-life movement is defeating President Obama and replacing him with a pro-life president committed to advancing laws that will save lives,"said Dannenfelser. "Our goal is to ensure that Values Voter attendees know which candidates have made the commitment to be a pro-life leader in the White House, and where they stand on key priorities of the pro-life movement."

The voter guide lists the tenants of the pledges each organization circulated for all of the Republican candidates to sign.

The NOM pledge commits signers to, among other things, support a Constitutional amendment which would define marriage as a union between one man and one woman and defend the federal Defense of Marriage act. Thus far Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have signed the NOM pledge with Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul abstaining.

The SBA List pledge asks signers to, among other things, actively work to defund Planned Parenthood and nominate only pro-life individuals to relevant cabinet-level positions. So far, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum have signed the SBA List pledge with Herman Cain and Mitt Romney abstaining but vocalizing support for specific parts of the pledge.

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