Talking Points on a So-Called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) for New York State

Talking Points on a So-Called Defense of Marriage

The so-called Defense of Marriage Act is nothing short of an attack on families for political purposes. It would codify in New York law the second-class status of every lesbian and gay family in the state for purely political reasons.
It is bad public policy for government to deny support to New York’s families. The recent census shows that there are tens of thousands of families headed by same-sex couples living in New York State, and that they live in literally every county of the state. One in four of these households are raising children. These couples and their children are not going away. The only question is whether government will provide them with the same protections as all other families or whether they are to be left out in the cold to fend for themselves for such basic things as the ability to inherit property, access to Family Court for protection against domestic violence or the authority to make medical decisions for an incapacitated loved one.
New Yorkers are not in favor of changing the law to discriminate against families. According to a Global Strategies poll in March 2006, only 43% of New Yorkers are in favor of a law explicitly limiting marriage to one man and one woman. To the contrary, according to that same poll, 53% of New York voters want same-sex couples to be able to marry, and only 38% oppose.
Anyone who truly cares about family values should be committed to giving all New York families the tools they need to support and care for each other. It is pro-family to give same-sex couples and their children the same governmental protections that all other families rely on in times of crisis. There is nothing conservative or even appropriate about using the law to tell people how to live their lives, certainly not when it comes to love and family.
It is politically unwise for an elected official or political party in New York to champion DOMA. In catering to a conservative minority and supporting a discriminatory bill like DOMA, an elected official would be out of step with the continued efforts to further equality in New York.
A political party that was responsible for passing a DOMA would be at risk of being seen in a socially progressive, mostly Democratic state like New York as the party of intolerance, bigotry and outdated thinking. It would be especially egregious to make such a crass political move at the expense of the security and stability of lesbian and gay couples and their children.