Looking forward to read how Dawn explains this
I don't believe that the Founding Fathers envisioned gay marriage so I don't see how it is a Constitutional Right.
Md. Ban On Gay Marriage Is Upheld
Law Does Not Deny Basic Rights, Is Not Biased, Court Rules
By Lisa Rein and Mary Otto
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, September 19, 2007; Page A01
Maryland's highest court yesterday upheld a 34-year-old state law banning same-sex marriage, rejecting an attempt by 19 gay men and lesbians to win the right to marry.
In reversing a lower court's decision, the divided Court of Appeals ruled that limiting marriage to a man and a woman does not discriminate against gay couples or deny them constitutional rights. Although the judges acknowledged that gay men and lesbians have been targets of discrimination, they said the prohibition on same-sex marriage promotes the state's interest in heterosexual marriage as a means of having and protecting children.
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Stacey Kargman-Kayle and her 4-year-old son listen to a speaker at a news conference held by the American Civil Liberties Union and Equality Maryland. (Mark Gail - The Washington Post)
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Plaintiffs Face Aftermath of Md. Court Decision
They hoped to be celebrating a legal victory. But instead, the gay and lesbian plaintiffs in Maryland's same-sex marriage lawsuit found themselves blinking back tears as they gathered on the steps of a stately old Baltimore church and faced the media yesterday afternoon.
Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 12:15 p.m. ET
Maryland Supreme Court Upholds Ban on Gay Marriage
Prof. William N. Eskridge of Yale Law School offers his analysis of the Maryland Supreme Court's decision to uphold the state's ban on same-sex marriage.
Related Document
The State of Gay Unions
Yesterday's high-court ruling upheld Maryland's ban on same-sex marriage. The majority of states ban gay marriages, and a patchwork of laws, constitutional amendments and court rulings covers the legal rights of gay couples nationwide.
Online Resources
The 4 to 3 decision cannot be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court because the lawsuit relied solely on state law. But the judges appeared to invite gay rights advocates to pursue their goals through the political system: "Our opinion should by no means be read to imply that the General Assembly may not grant and recognize for homosexual persons civil unions or the right to marry a person of the same sex," Judge Glenn T. Harrell Jr. wrote for the majority.