Statement of Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin on the Proposed Constitutional Amendment on Marriage

Statement of Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin on the Proposed Constitutional Amendment on Marriage

I oppose a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage. I believe the laws of this country should apply equally to everyone. That means adults of either gender and any race should be able to marry each other. In some states, the law excludes people of the same gender. I think that is wrong. In others, the courts are moving in an orderly process toward what I believe is the right conclusion.

Even people who disagree that people of the same sex should be able to marry believe a constitutional amendment is wrong and inappropriate. These include such prominent conservatives as former Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY) and former Representative Bob Barr (R-GA), as well as columnist George Will. Our founding fathers would be appalled by the President's efforts to use our Constitution as a weapon to divide our nation and discriminate.

Amendments to our Constitution have almost always been used to expand our rights and freedoms, not to discriminate. The single exception was Prohibition, and we saw how well that turned out.

Americans are deeply concerned about the loss of good paying jobs, affordable healthcare, and quality education for all children. It is clear that these are not the President's priorities and he is using the issue of marriage to deflect attention from his abysmal record in addressing these problems. The constitution should not be a political tactic but a core foundation of our beliefs as a nation.

I am deeply mindful that not everyone has the same beliefs on marriage between two people of the same sex. Even with differences in beliefs, the laws of the land should be a constant and should not be discriminatory. I hope we can have an orderly and substantive discussion about what our laws should be and not let either our Constitution or this deeply personal issue become a tactic of division.