The Federal Marriage Amendment hit the U.S. Senate floor with a thud on Wednesday, July 14^th, falling just 12 votes shy of the necessary 60 votes to invoke cloture.  The Senate procedural vote stopped Senate Joint Resolution 40, otherwise known as the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA), from being debated and voted on the merits of the bill.

While three Democrats broke with their party line and voted in favor of the FMA, 6 Republicans voted against the measure, including Senator John McCain (R-AZ).  Neither Senator John Kerry nor Senator John Edwards, the Democratic presidential ticket, were present for the vote.

“This truly is just the beginning of a long process – legally, politically and educationally.  We must help the American citizen understand the significant impact that legitimizing and promoting same-sex marriage will have on the institution of marriage, the family unit and our nation,” said Dan Panetti, vice president of Legal & Public Policy at the National Coalition for the Protection of Children & Families.  “This was an important vote to see where elected representatives stood, to hear their attempts to distract the American public from the issue and importance of marriage with disingenuous arguments about states’ rights or the lack of federal court cases demanding a Constitutional amendment at this time.  As concerned citizens we must continue to let our representatives hear from us and we must be armed with reasonable, rational, and responsible arguments in defense of marriage.”

To that end, the National Coalition has produced an outstanding resource entitled Why Is Marriage Important? The Reasonable Defense of Marriage, written by S. Michael Craven, vice president of Religious and Cultural Affairs at the National Coalition.  This brief but profound booklet is available through our web site at www.purehope.net and is part of the ongoing Cultural Apologetics Series that equips concerned citizens with the truth on issues such as marriage, homosexuality and sex education.

Ultimately, this amendment to the U.S. Constitution seeking to protect the institution of marriage by defining it as the relationship between one man and one woman will require a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, which means that 67 Senators will have to vote in favor of this bill for final passage.  While this vote fell 12 votes shy of reaching cloture, the measure will ultimately require an additional 19 Senators to vote in favor of marriage.

Click here to learn how your Senators voted.  If your Senator voted “yes” for marriage, please take a moment and write them a note of encouragement for their stand for the family.  If your Senator voted “no” on the FMA, please take a moment and write or call them on this issue.  We encourage you to send a copy of Why Is Marriage Important? The Reasonable Defense of Marriage, which provides sound arguments in favor of marriage between one man and one woman.  You can get the address and phone number for your senators by visiting www.senate.gov.

Also, many states across the nation, including Ohio, have placed a state constitutional amendment protecting marriage on the ballot for November.  Do not underestimate the importance of this vote.  Most of the senators who voted against the FMA did so because they claimed that the states were the proper authority to define and regulate marriage.  Advocates of the FMA firmly believe that while states are the proper authority on the issue of marriage, federal judges will usurp that authority and impose same-sex marriage on states regardless of their intent or stated desire.  “Ultimately the Constitution is being rewritten; the author will either be a federal judge legislating from the bench or the people and states by ratifying the Federal Marriage Amendment,” said Panetti.