The following is a statement from the United States Council of Catholic Bishops regarding the Obama Administrations refusal to defend The Defense of Marriage Act.

“Marriage has been understood for millennia and across cultures as the union of one man and one woman. Today, (Feb. 23) the president has instructed the Department of Justice to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law reiterating that definition of marriage, passed by a Republican Congress and signed by former President Bill Clinton fifteen years ago. The principal basis for today’s decision is that the president considers the law a form of impermissible sexual orientation discrimination.

This decision represents an abdication of the responsibility of the executive branch to carry out its constitutional obligation to ensure that the laws of the United States are faithfully executed. It is also a grave affront to the millions of Americans who both reject unjust discrimination and affirm the unique and inestimable value of marriage as between one man and one woman. Support for actual marriage is not bigotry, but instead an eminently reasonable common judgement affirming the foundational institution of society. Any suggestion by the government that such a judgment represents “discrimination” is a serious threat to the religious liberty of marriage supporters nationwide.”

With this decision, the Obama administration has proved once again that it will not fulfill its constitutional duty to uphold the laws of this nation that it was sworn to do. Whether they agree with the law or not makes no difference. We the people need to hold them accountable for such an arrogant abdication of justice.

Scott Bute

Alden