The U.S. Senate’s rejection last week of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage raised hope that this divisive issue might not overshadow more crucial and immediate ones this election season.
Topics such as the war on terrorism, the United States’ leadership role in the world, health care, national energy policies and the budget deficit deserve a full airing by the candidates. A gay marriage ban as a central campaign issue would be a distraction.
Emotions run high in the gay marriage debate. Like abortion, it’s a polarizing issue where compromise is elusive. Arguments for and against already have become repetitive, and little ground figures to be gained by either side in the near term.
This issue needs time to evolve. Gay marriage and gay civil unions are still very new ideas in the mainstream debate. Less than a decade ago, few people – even gay-rights activists – could have predicted it would have moved so far so fast.
The constitutional amendment proposed by President Bush would have rushed the debate, perhaps forcing people to take sides prematurely. The complexities of this issue – from family structures and church/state issues to tax law and next-of-kin rights – require time to allow Americans to fully understand them and for various pitfalls and solutions to be discussed. The debate should be intentionally deliberate.
Allowing an idea to evolve implies a bubbling up from the people rather than a top-down dictate from the national government. Different states are bound to approach the issue differently, making a one-size-fits-all approach dubious. Such differences also would make ratification of an amendment by three-quarters of the states a doubtful proposition.
An effort to advance the gay-marriage amendment in the Senate failed to garner even 50 votes last week, far short of the 67 required for the amendment to pass. Conservatives, including the president, vowed to keep the issue alive. Considering the lack of support for changing the Constitution, they would do well to step back and develop a new strategy. A relentless push during the campaign could even backfire politically; polls show voters of varying ideologies don’t want it on the election agenda
The Bush and Kerry campaigns would be well-advised to focus on the issues that matter most to voters. There will be plenty of time after the election to debate the pros and cons of gay marriage.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
