Liberty Counsel
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT - 800-671-1776 or Media@LC.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2011
http://www.lc.org/
Washington, DC - Today President Barack Obama instructed the U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, and the Department of Justice to cease defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). "This is outrageous and unthinkable that the President would abandon the defense of marriage," said Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "President Obama has betrayed the American people by his refusal to defend the federal law that affirms what many courts upheld as constitutional, namely, that marriage is between one man and one woman," said Staver.
In a letter addressed to congressional leaders, Attorney General Holder said that President Obama has instructed that the defense of DOMA should be withdrawn in two pending cases, Pedersen v. Office of Personnel Management (United States District Court for the District of Connecticut) and Windsor v. United States of America (United States District Court for the Southern District of New York). These cases challenge Section 3 of the federal DOMA, which defines marriage as one man and one woman for purposes of federal law and federal benefits for federal employees. There are three other similar challenges pending: Dragovich v. U.S. Department of the Treasury (United States District Court for the Northern District of California); Gill v. Office of Personnel Management (First Circuit Court of Appeals arising out of Massachusetts); and Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (same).
"Regardless of President Obama's own ideological agenda, as President, he and his Attorney General have a duty to defend lawfully passed legislation, especially when the essence of the law has been upheld by many courts. Thirty states have passed marriage amendments affirming marriage as one man and one woman. Today, President Obama has abandoned his role as President of the United States and transformed his office into the President of the Divided States. He has been the most divisive president in American history. He has today declared war on the American people and the fundamental values that are shared by most Americans. His radicalism resulted in the historical push-back in the 2010 elections. His radicalism today will come back around when the people respond to this betrayal in 2012," said Staver.
"We will not allow one President and one Attorney General to toss natural marriage aside," concluded Staver.
From the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
No comments:
Post a Comment