Check amendment facts before voting

Posted September 14, 2006 Fond du Lac Reporter

Letters: Amendments; Recycling

Opponents of the proposed state marriage amendment are telling you things that just aren't true.

"It'll undo domestic violence protections." Nope. Wisconsin domestic violence laws don't factor sexual orientation. In fact, 2001 Wis. Act 109 expanded our statute to "romantic or intimate social relationship(s) between (two) adult individuals" — no word on orientation.

"Gays will lose visitation rights, power of attorney, etc." Actually, anybody can make these arrangements with anyone, regardless of the relationship. How do eccentric widows leave property to their cats?

They write a will. To liberals who scoff at this, why, then, was the importance of everybody getting their legal affairs in order the only lesson you learned and promoted after Terri Schiavo's murder?

"Gay couples won't be able to get health benefits." Hogwash. Public and private employers would still have the right to say "we'll give you Benefit A for whoever you live with," without inventing "a legal status identical or substantially similar to marriage," which is all the amendment invalidates.

The law wouldn't recognize homosexual unions, but neither would it discriminate. Gays and straights equally have the right to enter into marriage by marrying someone of the opposite sex. Debate the question, but don't pretend you're stuck in the back of the bus.

Rather than religious fanatics, marriage's defenders are students of history and society. They know that only the union of man and woman continues the human race and that children need parents of both sexes.

Who's the real fanatic: he who recognizes this correlation between Bible and biology, or he who insists it's mere coincidence?

True marriage is simply recognition of this reality, and defense of true marriage is defense of civilization's very foundation.

Calvin Freiburger

Fond du Lac