Ted Cruz (R-TX) Introduces Anti-gay Bill ‘Defending’ States’ Right to Regulate Marriage

With a ruling in the lawsuit challenging Texas' ban on same-sex marriage “forthcoming at some time,” Senator Ted Cruz is making sure voters in the Lone Star State know his crystal-clear position on the whole issue. On Thursday, Cruz introduced a bill that defends states' right to regulate marriage and “protects states from the federal government's efforts to force any other definition upon them.”

From the Senator's statement on the bill's introduction:

“I support traditional marriage. Under President Obama, the federal government has tried to re-define marriage, and to undermine the constitutional authority of each state to define marriage consistent with the values of its citizens,” said Sen. Cruz. “The Obama Administration should not be trying to force gay marriage on all 50 states. We should respect the states, and the definition of marriage should be left to democratically elected legislatures, not dictated from Washington. This bill will safeguard the ability of states to preserve traditional marriage for its residents.”

In United States v. Windsor, the Supreme Court improperly held Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) to be unconstitutional. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court's reasoning requires the federal government to respect the primacy of the states in defining marriage.

Unfortunately, since the Windsor decision, the Obama Administration's agenda to force same-sex marriage has led both to the violation of these principles and to the rise of inconsistencies among several federal agencies that either look to the law of the state where an individual lives to determine eligibility for marital benefits or recognize marriages based solely on the law of the state where a marriage ceremony was held.

The bill is similar to one introduced by Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) in January.

Back in a July interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Cruz warned of the dangerous consequences of gay right, saying they would lead to Christianity being defined as “hate speech” and would force pastors to perform same-sex nuptials.

[via The HuffPost]