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Catholic World News News Feature

Bush launches bid for marriage-protection amendment June 05, 2006

US President George W. Bush has launched a drive for approval of a constitutional amendment to protect traditional marriage.

"Our policies should aim to strengthen families, not undermine them," Bush said at a June 5 gathering for supporters of the amendment. "And changing the definition of marriage would undermine the family structure."

President Bush had been under mounting pressure from conservative Christian leaders to make the "Marriage Protection Amendment" a top priority of his administration. On the day of the White House meeting, the Center for Reclaiming American for Christ-- led by the prominent Evangelical figure, Dr. D. James Kennedy-- delivered petitions signed by over 500,000 Americans, calling for passage of the amendment.

"In our free society, decisions about a fundamental social institution as marriage should be made by the people," President Bush said. Supporters of the Marriage Protection Amendment argue that the measure is necessary to prevent activist judges from declaring a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.

Although the measure faces an uncertain future on Capitol Hill, where Democratic legislators oppose it, the proposed amendment is likely to become a key issue in debates during this year's Congressional-election campaigns.

The amendment has strong support from religious leaders. Among Catholic prelates, eight cardinals have lent their names to the campaign for ratification. But some prominent Catholic politicians are leading the opposition. Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts charged that support for the amendment is motivated by "bigotry pure and simple."