Judiciary Committee Kills Marriage Amendment on Party-line Vote.

On Tuesday, May 3, 2005, a public hearing was conducted in the House Judiciary Committee on HCR 1002, my state constitutional marriage amendment. After 40 minutes of testimony, the measure was defeated on a party-line vote of six Republicans supporting and seven Democrats voting against.

Here are the introductory comments I gave at that hearing:

The traditional family of one man and one woman, bonded together in marriage, with the direct responsibility to raise their children, has been the core institution of civilization.

Yet some are trying to redefine marriage, jeopardizing society's most effective means of promoting peace, harmony and prosperity. Their attempt to replace traditional marriage with a gender neutral imitation is not accepting a broader, fuller meaning of marriage; it is missing the very point of this time-honored institution.

Ultimately we cannot redefine marriage, we will simply put our nation's laws in contradiction to the realities of human experience.

I am convinced that the traditional family unit of one man and one woman, is the gold standard of marriage which our laws and our public policy should always promote, but what I think is not the real point of today's discussion.

For this fundamental issue we should appeal to the highest civil authority within our system of government; this can only be resolved by a direct vote of the citizens of this great state.

It is for this reason I bring before you HCR 1002, a state constitutional marriage amendment. It is a referred ballot measure because, we should let the people decide.

The choice this puts before the citizens of Colorado is to either establish in our Constitution a clear understanding of the time-honored institution of marriage, or to continue to allow judicial decisions to undermine the meaning of marriage.

Please understand that I am not asking you to make this decision. I am simply asking that we put this before the people.

For centuries civilized societies have clearly understood that marriage means a man and a woman, yet in just a few brief years a drastically different concept is threatening this time honored cultural norm. I beg this committee to not turn a blind eye toward this situation. Do not allow the people of Colorado to be forced into this radical direction by unelected judges.

Let the people decide.

Some ask: what will it hurt? How can it affect my marriage and my family?

I grant that it may not immediately change your opinion or your home, but what is happening is that step by step we are being forced into an extreme change which will have a significant impact on all of our culture.

We are already seeing changes in what is being taught in the schools. Gender neutrality is becoming the required perspective. In addition, if we continue to go down this path, it will also inevitably lead to a major overhaul of Federal and state marriage and family laws. Gender neutrality for public policy will be inescapable. Hetero-normative values, that is, values favoring a one man one woman marriage, will no longer be tolerated.

I contend that the changes we see happening today will significantly diminish our cultural understanding of marriage, and reduce the positive role that marriage and the family has in our society, but again, my opinion is not the point.

We must give the citizens of Colorado the opportunity to make this decision. Support HCR 1002 and let the people decide.