NCJW Applauds House Defeat of Constitutional Amendment to Ban Same-Sex Marriage
July 18, 2006, Washington, DC -- The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) today applauded the defeat by the US House of Representatives of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. NCJW President Phyllis Snyder released the following statement:
"NCJW applauds today's defeat in the House of Representatives of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. The constitution is a document written to protect our democracy and our fundamental civil rights. It must not become a vehicle for enforcing discrimination. This amendment would have violated both the letter and the spirit of the First Amendment by imposing a single definition of marriage -- a definition derived from the religious principles of some -- on all Americans.
"This vote was taken for purely symbolic reasons. The amendment had already been defeated in the Senate and could not have been sent to the states for ratification regardless of how the House voted. Now both the House and Senate are on record against this attempt to enshrine discrimination in the Constitution. We fervently hope this defeat -- the second in two years -- will put an end to this effort.
"The defeat of the amendment is a victory for a broad coalition of civil rights and faith-based groups that fought hard to protect our core principles of justice and equality for all. NCJW is proud to have played a role in challenging this amendment and will continue to oppose any attempts to discriminate against same-sex couples."
NCJW is a volunteer organization, inspired by Jewish values, that works to improve the quality of life for women, children, and families and to ensure individual rights and freedoms for all through its network of 90,000 members, supporters, and volunteers nationwide.
Contact:
Vanessa Schnaidt
212 645 4048 x179; vschnaidt@ncjw.org