|
Stop the FMA!
Stop the Federal Marriage Amendment! In July, the Federal Marriage Amendment was defeated in the Senate. The time has come again for constituents like you to communicate forcefully to the U.S. House of Representatives how devastating this politically transparent and divisive measure would be for same-sex couples and their families. The House will vote on the FMA - H.J. Res. 56 - as early as the week of September 20th. There is widespread agreement that the Senate vote was a major embarrassment for President Bush, who made repeated calls for the Senate to pass the amendment, and a significant defeat for the Conservative Right, which has poured millions of dollars into pro-amendment lobbying efforts and state anti-gay ballot initiatives. It is up to us to keep our Representatives from bowing to the pressure from the Conservative Right by reminding them to do their jobs to represent all Americans. While we've asked you to contact your elected officials many times in the past, we must ask again. It does make a difference when elected officials hear from their constituents. And, we are making it easier than ever to contact your elected officials via the Task Force's new action center system. Simply follow the instructions in our sample e-mail letter that you can either edit or send as is. Alternatively, you can call your Representative's office through the U.S. House switchboard at 202-224-3121. Please note: Some congressional representatives only accept e-mail through special Web forms. If you receive an e-mail from your rep notifying you of this policy, please do take a moment and register your opposition to the FMA. Contact your Representative and ask your family and friends to do the same - today!
Dear [ Decision Maker ] , As your constituent, I write to express my strong opposition to H.J. Res. 56, the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA). The FMA would harm same-sex couples and families by denying them over one thousand rights critical to partnership and familial success. It would deny to same-sex partners rights that keep families together, such as immigration rights and presumptive parental status. It would also deny rights that help families thrive, such as insurance coverage, hospital visitation, social security benefits and survivor benefits. The 2000 U.S. Census figures show that the FMA threatens in particular to compromise the welfare of the hundreds of thousands of children currently being raised by same-sex parents. The Constitution traditionally has been a vessel for freedom, and the trajectory of its history has been in the direction of equality. It has been amended to abolish slavery and its incidents, to allow women the right to vote, and to expand citizenship rights. Never has it been amended to discriminate and to deny rights. The FMA proposes a stark departure from Constitutional principles and tradition made more radical only by its divisive intent. A majority of the U.S. Senate recognized this when they voted against cloture in July, and I trust that you will recognize this, too. I urge you in the strongest possible terms to vote against H.J. Res. 56.
Sincerely, |
Campaign Launched: |
| Background Information |
There is widespread agreement that the Senate vote was a major embarrassment for President Bush, who made repeated calls for the Senate to pass the amendment, and a significant defeat for the Conservative Right, which has poured millions of dollars into pro-amendment lobbying efforts and state anti-gay ballot initiatives. It is up to us to keep our Representatives from bowing to the pressure from the Conservative Right by reminding them to do their jobs to represent all Americans.
While we've asked you to contact your elected officials many times in the past, we must ask again. It does make a difference when elected officials hear from their constituents.