Why a Constitutional Ban on Gay Marriage and Civil Unions is bad for Wisconsin It is too broad. This amendment has unintended legal consequences for citizens of Wisconsin, both gay and heterosexual. It is intrusive. It constitutes government intrusion into our private lives. Wisconsinites have always recognized that individuals can choose how to live their own lives. This amendment would tell people how to live their private lives. Gay couples can’t legally marry in Wisconsin already. It is not legal for gay people to marry in Wisconsin now. It won’t affect religious doctrine or marriage. Both federal laws and the State of Wisconsin defi ne marriage as between one man and one woman. Wisconsin is not required to recognize marriages from other states. Marriages sought by Wisconsin citizens in other states to avoid Wisconsin’s marriage laws are void in Wisconsin. The constitution should grant and protect rights. This amendment would use our constitution to take away rights. This bill removes rights for gay people and unmarried people. It threatens to harm children. Children of gay parents could forever lose the ability to obtain health insurance, inheritance rights, and other forms of financial security. It will increase litigation and undo settled law. This amendment would create uncertainty and invite litigation on a broad range of topics, including the right of employers to grant domestic partner benefi ts, the right of women to be protected from domestic violence, the scope of hospital visitation rights, the validity of health care powers of attorney, and the legitimacy of wills and trusts. It could undo domestic violence protections. In a state with an amendment similar to the one proposed in Wisconsin, heterosexual perpetrators of domestic violence used it to undo domestic violence protections. These men said that allowing ex-girlfriends to get restraining orders against abusive boyfriends violated the amendment’s prohibition against any legal status like marriage. They won. We don’t want this to happen in Wisconsin. It could affect the health of our citizens. Health care benefi ts for domestic partners, gay and straight, and their children could be lost. It is discriminatory. Discrimination should not be written into the constitution. Regardless of your personal feelings about gay marriage, this amendment discriminates against gay people and gay couples. It also discriminates against unmarried heterosexual couples.
|