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Nov 4, 2008 6:19 pm US/Eastern
Florida Voters Decide On Marriage Amendment 2
Voters In California And Arizona Are Also Deciding Similar Questions
AVENTURA (CBS4) ―
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Amendment Regarding Same-Sex Marriages
CBS
Florida voters are deciding on Amendment 2 - whether they want to put a definition of marriage in the state's constitution stating that marriage is a union between a man and a woman.
Supporters claim that putting the definition in the constitution is important to help prevent court rulings allowing same-sex marriage like those in Massachusetts, California and Connecticut.
Dashana Honore said she voted "yes" on Amendment 2. "I'm not trying to be religious and everything, but in the Bible, Genesis also states Adam and Eve. It's got to be Adam and Eve. And for me, personally, I think it's a very sacred thing."
Opponents argue the amendment is unnecessary and that its vague wording would create problems for some same-sex and heterosexual couples. They claim the wording of Amendment 2 would invalidate those partnerships.
Felix Becessar voted "no" on Amendment 2, saying "It's meant as an anti-gay amendment. They're billing it as a marriage protection; what it really does is it adds discrimination to the Florida.
The amendment would define marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife. The new amendment would also protect the measure from judicial review.
According to the polls, the race is very close. A Constitutional Amendment needs 60 percent approval to pass. Polls show a 55 percent approval, with many still undecided. A barrage of campaign ads had hit the airwaves, trying to sway those undecided.
Supporters say the amendment is simple. In short, they say, it would be a constitutional ban against gay marriage. "Homosexuals already have all rights in the state of Florida, anyway," one supporter told
CBS4 Reporter Ted Scouten, "so they would not be affected."
But opponents say not only homosexual couples are targeted. Critics claim straight, domestic partners would also be affected. Their reasoning is the wording in the proposed amendment that says "No other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognized."
What has opponents concerned are the repercussions of a similar amendment being passed in the state of Michigan. The Supreme Court there struck down domestic partnership benefits for employees of state universities and cities under the amendment.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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