Maine Citizens Vote to Uphold the Traditional Definition of Marriage
Maine Citizens Vote to Uphold the Traditional Definition of Marriage
On Tuesday, at the one-year anniversary of the passage of Proposition 8 in California, Maine citizens joined California and 29 other states by voting to protect the traditional definition of marriage. Maine’s Question 1, which sought to repeal a new law permitting same-sex marriages, passed by 53 to 47 percent. Voter turnout was unexpectedly high, as voters rejected the same-sex marriage law.
Maine’s legislature voted in May to allow homosexuals to marry each other, but a citizens’ petition campaign led to a delay in the law's implementation as signatures were gathered for the popular referendum. That referendum became Question 1.
The passage of Question 1 is another setback for gay-rights and homosexual marriage advocates and makes Maine the third state in which residents reversed their government's decision to permit same-sex marriages. Last year voters in California rejected a decision by the California Supreme Court which legalized same-sex marriages, and Hawaii voters reversed a same-sex marriage law passed by their Legislature.
Same-sex marriage has yet to win a popular vote in any state. When the issue is put before the voters, one-man, one-woman marriage wins every time.
The states that grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples – Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, and Vermont – have done so via legislative vote or judicial fiat. Similarly, New Hampshire will grant such marriages beginning in January 2010 after a vote by its Legislature.
Due to the creation of the Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Clinton, the federal government does not recognize same-sex marriages and gives authority to states for their own laws specific to marriage’s definition.
All 31 states that have attempted to protect the traditional definition of marriage have been successful. The Wall Street Journal outlines the current status of marriage state-by-state.
The Maine victory for traditional marriage is especially meaningful, as homosexual marriage activists gave tremendous financial support and volunteer help from across the country, outspending traditional marriage support 2-1. The vote confirms the will of the people state by state, as although cultures may vary significantly between California and Maine, a common point of agreement is the meaning and purpose of marriage for children, families, and societies.
Fox Politics
- High Honors: Living Soldier Awarded Medal of Honor for Afghanistan Service
- Senator questions $18B for job training, as study suggest rampant waste, abuse
- JP Morgan CEO Dimon to testify before Congress
- Author shares audio of interview with Wright claiming he was offered money to stay quiet
- Rubio upset over US issuing visa to Castro's daughter
