Attorneys for Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear are appealing a federal judge's February ruling striking down the state's ban on recognition of gay marriages performed elsewhere, and filed a brief arguing that the ban should be maintained because gay marriage threatens birth rates, and thus economic competitiveness, in Kentucky, the Courier-Journal reports:
In a 32-page appeal, attorney Leigh Gross Latherow says Kentucky has an interest in maintaining birth rates, which, if allowed to fall, can induce economic crises because of the reduced demand for good and services and the reduction of the work force. She cited recent dips in the economies of Germany and Japan tied to declines in their birth rates.
The appeal doesn't explain how allowing gays to marry would reduce the birth rate among heterosexual couples.
Laura Landenwich, one of the plaintiff's lawyers, called the state's argument "offensive."
"Most Kentuckians — on both sides of the issue — view marriage as a social partnership, a spiritual bond, a commitment to navigate life together," Landenwich said. "Children are often a part of that shared journey, but the relationship extends beyond that."
