Lawmakers pushing for constitutional ban on gay marriage

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Whenever he speaks to civic groups in his Southeast Missouri legislative district, state Rep. Kevin Engler says gay marriage is the issue constituents are most fired up about.

"People are tolerant in our area, but don't confuse tolerance and respect for people with capitulation to whatever they want to do," said Engler, R-Farmington.

However, Denise Eaker of Cape Girardeau finds it "very puzzling" that same-gender marriage is somehow seen as a threat to heterosexual marriage.

"I am with the woman I've wanted to be with all of my life," Eaker said. "I would love to be able to get married and have it recognized."

Eaker is the executive director and founder of Visions of Pride, a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community center in Cape Girardeau.

A measure pending in the state House of Representatives would reinforce an existing state law that bans same-sex unions by defining marriage as being solely between a man and a women within the Missouri Constitution's Bill of Rights.

Engler is a lead House sponsor of the proposal, which the Senate last month passed on a 26-6 vote. If the measure clears both chambers, a statewide ratification vote would be held Nov. 3. Engler doesn't expect House action until April.

During a Monday news conference on the issue, Engler said recognition of gay marriage would undermine the traditional family unit.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's November ruling requiring state recognition of same-sex marriages has sparked national debate on the issue.

Because the U.S. Constitution generally requires states to recognize contracts legally executed in other states, President George W. Bush has endorsed a federal constitutional amendment similar to that proposed in Missouri and other states.

U.S. Rep. Todd Akin, a St. Louis County Republican, said the process of amending the Constitution could take years and that states should take their own actions in the meantime.

Changing the U.S. Constitution requires two-thirds majorities in both houses of Congress followed by ratification by at least 33 state legislatures. Amending the Missouri Constitution is far easier, needing just simple majorities in the General Assembly and on the statewide ballot.

Missouri law generally defines marriage as "a civil contract, to which the consent of the parties capable in law of contracting is essential." The law prohibits bigamous marriages and those between blood relatives, in addition to same-sex unions.

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