The Federal Marriage Amendment is a
resolution to amend the
Constitution of the United States to specifically state that
marriage is only to be recognized as a
union between a man and a woman. From the resolution:
"Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution or the constitution of any State, nor state or federal law, shall be construed to require that marital status or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon unmarried couples or groups."
This is an attempt by the
Alliance for Marriage to prevent
activist judges from legislating from their benches by redefining marriage. It leaves
benefits associated with marriage and the formation of "
civil unions", "
domestic partnerships", and such up to the States.
The resolution before
Congress is
House Joint Resolution 56. The cosponsors of this bill are:
Collin Peterson (D-MN),
Mike McIntyre (D-NC),
Ralph Hall (D-TX),
Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO),
Jo Ann Davis (R-VA),
David Vitter (R-LA).