This post shall be devoted to the top lies that have been told this week about the proposed anti-family Marshall-Newman amendment in order to mislead voters. (Sadly, this may have to become a regular feature for the duration.)
Lie Number 1: We will begin with the office of the Attorney General. David Johnson, Virginia’s deputy attorney general for health, education, and social services, told the Winchester Star on Saturday that “All this talks about is marriage.” We wonder if he has read it? Yes, we think he has. He simply knows, or has been instructed, that Virginians won’t vote for it if they grasp the much longer portion that “talks about” civil unions, domestic partnerships, and any other form of legal protection for unmarried couples.
Lie Number 2: “This amendment only codifies in the constitution what is already in our law.” This is incorrect. HB751, the latest and most intrusive addition to anti-family law in Virginia, only pertains to same sex couples. The Marshall-Newman amendment extends its restrictions to all unmarried couples, whether of the same or mixed sex.
Lie Number 3: “There have been no lawsuits or demonstrations of harm done to anyone by the passage of HB751.” This is incorrect. In the case of a lesbian couple who dissolved their Vermont Civil Union, HB751 was used as the basis for “venue shopping” for a custody ruling by one of the women. A Virginia judge explicitly cited HB751 in his ruling to override a custody agreement made in Vermont, in violation of a federal law that is intended to prevent exactly this behavior by bitter people who try to use the courts to punish their ex-partners. As a result, a little four year old girl has been denied access to one of her parents for over two years. No harm? See previous sentence. No lawsuit? It’s headed for the Supreme Court.
Unfortunately, expect updates to this list.
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