Iowa Governor Will Respect Supreme Court on Same-Sex Marriage

***STATEMENT FROM IA GOVERNOR CHET CULVER on SAME-SEX MARRIAGE***

“I have carefully reviewed the Iowa Supreme Court's unanimous
decision on civil marriage and discussed it with the Attorney General.

“Let me begin by saying that I recognize that the issue of same-gender
civil marriage is one that evokes strongly held beliefs and strong
emotions both for and against. These beliefs and feelings need to be
respected. I hope that the views of those on all sides will be treated
respectfully and will not be subjected to name-calling or
fear-mongering, but instead will lead to rational discussion.

“At the outset, I want to emphasize that the question before the Iowa
Supreme Court was one of civil marriage only – a state-recognized legal
status constituting a civil contract. Civil marriage always has been,
and will continue to be, separate from religious marriage that takes
place in churches and places of worship.

“As I have stated before, I personally believe that marriage is between
a man and a woman. This is a tenet of my personal faith. The Iowa
Supreme Court’s decision has, in fact, reaffirmed that churches across
Iowa will continue to have the right to recognize the sanctity of
religious marriage in accordance with their own traditions and church
doctrines. The Supreme Court’s decision does not require that churches
recognize marriages between persons of the same gender or officiate
over such unions. The Court does not have, nor should any court ever
have, that kind of power over our religious lives. Our churches and
places of worship are free to decide for themselves, as they were
before, who may enter the sacred covenant of marriage. As the Supreme
Court’s decision states, ‘The sanctity of all religious marriages
celebrated in the future will have the same meaning as those celebrated
in the past.’

“Yet, the Supreme Court of Iowa, in a unanimous decision, has clearly
stated that the Constitution of our state, which guarantees equal
protection of the law to all Iowans, requires the State of Iowa to
recognize the civil marriage contract of two people of the same
gender. The Court also concluded that the denial of this right
constitutes discrimination. Therefore, after careful consideration and
a thorough reading of the Court’s decision, I am reluctant to support
amending the Iowa Constitution to add a provision that our Supreme
Court has said is unlawful and discriminatory.

“As Governor, I must respect the authority of the Iowa Supreme Court,
and have a duty to uphold the Constitution of the State of Iowa. I also
fully respect the right of all Iowans to live under the full protection
of Iowa’s Constitution.

“I urge Iowans who hold beliefs on all sides of this issue to exhibit
respect and good will. Our state faces many serious challenges. We are
in the midst of a serious economic recession. Tens of thousands of our
fellow Iowans are without work. We have suffered the worst natural
disasters and most difficult recovery our state has ever faced. We must
join together and redouble our efforts to work toward solutions that
will help Iowans in this time of uncertainty. That is where, I believe,
my focus and energies should lie. 

“Let
us not lose sight of the fact that we are all Iowans, all neighbors,
united in the promise and faith of a brighter future for our state. Let
us all work together toward that common goal.”