Posted: 12/06/2012 at 5:58pm | IP Logged

Stakes High for Marriage Fight at the Supreme Court

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CBN News

It's a big week in the battle over marriage in America, even as homosexual activists celebrate the legalization of same-sex marriage in Washington State Thursday.

But in Washington, D.C, the Supreme Court may be about to finally weigh in on what marriage really is.

Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples have been getting marriage licenses in Washington State, after the state's governor signed a law approved by the voters that legalizes homosexual marriage. The state has a three-day waiting period before weddings can take place.

"We have the license; three days -- I think we can make it another three days," one woman in Washington said.

Nine states and the District of Columbia have re-defined marriage. Will the Supreme Court follow suit?

The Court is expected to announce Friday morning if it will hear two major cases that could have far-reaching impacts on the definition of marriage in the United States.

One of those cases deals with the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA. The other is Proposition 8, California's voter-approved gay marriage ban.

DOMA defines marriage for all purposes, including federal benefits, as between a man and a woman. Four federal district courts and two appeals courts have overturned it.

Pro-family advocates say the stakes are high.

"This is fundamentally a religious liberty question," Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, told CBN News.

"Redefine marriage, you redefine it for everyone, and the law will be used to punish and marginalize those of us that believe marriage is the union of a man and a woman. It's already happening," he said.

If the Supreme Court does strike down DOMA, same-sex marriage advocates say the decision would send a message that all marriages are equal under the law.

Court watchers think the justices also will take up Prop 8. Two federal courts have struck it down as discriminatory.

"We're not fighting a battle against gay individuals," Frank Schubert, the traditional marriage advocate who ran the successful campaign to pass Prop 8, told CBN News.

"We're all children of God. We respect and love everyone, but marriage is something that God created to bring men and women together and to protect children," he said.

Voters in 31 states have amended their constitutions to prohibit homosexual marriage, with North Carolina being the most recent in May.

Trying to build on recent wins at the ballot box, gay marriage supporters are now targeting several states for voting drives, including New Jersey, Delaware, Illinois, and Rhode Island.