Head of Marriage Matters Iowa applauds call for marriage amendment

The executive director of “Marriage Matters Iowa” says he’s glad to hear President Bush call for a constitutional amendment to make marriage between a man and a woman. Mark Hartwig says it’s something that has a lot of support. He says it’s great to see the president come out in support of 15-thousand Iowans who’ve signed a petition in support of the federal marriage amendment. He says it’s “very much needed” in the state of Iowa, especially after a Sioux City judge’s ruling in a divorce case involving a civil union. Opponent of the amendment say it would legalize discrimination, but Hartwig doesn’t agree. He says it’s not discriminatory. He says “what the homosexual community does is certainly their right, but they certainly don’t have the right to redefine marriage.” He says their polling shows a majority of Iowans believe marriage should be defined as between a husband and a wife. Hartwig says the recent push to go against the “Defense of Marriage Act” passed by Congress shows the need for a constitutional amendment.He says the cases in Massachusetts, San Francisco and Texas have highlighted where the issue is going and he says shows the need for a constitutional amendment. Hartwig says the amendment is the only way to guarantee Iowa won’t be forced to recognize gay marriages that the majority opposes. He says it [marriage] has worked for thousands of years, all of humankind has always perceived it as being between a man and woman. He says he doesn’t see any reason why that needs to be changed.