Vote ‘No’ on ‘Marriage Amendment’
Amendment is at odds with Virginia’s business-friendly demeanor.
Loudoun Connection
August 10, 2006
There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of reasons to vote against the proposed constitutional amendment on marriage that will appear on the ballot in Virginia in November.
One of the most basic is that it’s bad for business.
Editor Mary Kimm goes on to cite the concerns of Virginia business leaders, including the spokeswoman for AOL, then asks readers to do a very simple thing:
But take a minute to read the first line of the ballot question, and the second paragraph.
The question is whether Virginians want to modify the state’s Bill of Rights to specifically deny rights to certain people, hardly an appropriate use of the Bill of Rights.
The second paragraph is so broad, it is likely to be interpreted by lawyers and judges to create a wide variety of unintended consequences.
The proposed amendment states that Virginia, “shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance, or effects of marriage.”
This sort of broad language creates uncertainty, and uncertainty in the business world is never good.
We will address other reasons to vote no on this amendment as the Nov. 7 election day approaches.
As she said, there may be hundreds of them.