ATHEISTS EXPRESS OPPOSITION TO CALIFORNIA ANTI-MARRIAGE AMENDMENT INITIATIVE
Civic laws should not be based on religious beliefs
Los Angeles "" The board of Atheists United, the preeminent atheist civil-rights organization in Southern California, unanimously voted today to formally oppose the passage of the Marriage Limitation Amendment to be voted on by California voters in the November 2008 presidential election.
The resolution reads as follows:
"WHEREAS, the California Supreme court has ruled that; 'the right to marry is not properly viewed simply as a benefit or privilege that a government may establish or abolish as it sees fit, but rather that the right constitutes a basic civil or human right of all people.' (In re Marriage Cases S147999, May 15, 2008, footnote 41.)
"WHEREAS, a proposed constitutional amendment, to limit marriage, will be on the November 4, 2008 General Election Ballot in California, stating; 'Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.'
"WHEREAS, such a limit on the right to marry is based on religious belief, not on the reasonable interests of the state, and therefore is an effrontery to the separation of government from religion.
"THEREFORE, Atheists United declares its opposition to this ballot measure and urge other organizations and individuals to oppose the measure and to vote against it."
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