Marriage Amendment is a Waste

From the letters printed in the Arizona Republic you would never know same-sex marriage is already illegal in Arizona. Arizona's "Defense of Marriage Act" (ARS § 25-101) became law in 1996 and was upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court in 2003. No one has challenged it since. Not the ACLU. Not gay couples or groups. Nobody. In short, the Marriage Amendment is completely unnecessary as a law banning same-sex marriage is already on the books.

If people need a reason to get worked up about the Marriage Amendment it would be their realization that the proposal does away with rights straight couples have to things like health insurance and other employment benefits. Unmarried couples where one works and gets medical care for kids who would otherwise not be able to obtain insurance can kiss that benefit goodbye. People in long-term common law marriage can watch their rights vanish, too.

So we’re debating the need for a Constitutional amendment to ban something that’s already illegal and harm good people who only want to share their lives or protect their children. Sorry, but I don’t see the point.