Supporters of IMA deserve their chance to be heard

by Ron Telecky

On Jan. 12, I attended a rally at the State Capitol sponsored by the Iowa Family Policy Center Action to support passage of the Iowa Marriage Amendment. The IMA seeks to have marriage legally defined as a union existing between one man and one woman.

Passage of the IMA is necessary as the Iowa Supreme Court last April struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, a law that had been passed by the Iowa Legislature, a law supported by the majority of Iowans.

In 31 states where citizens have had the opportunity to vote on same-sex marriage, it has been voted down every time. This issue has not come to Iowa by accident. Iowa was selected by gay rights activists because they knew if the existing law could be overturned in the courts without input from the people of Iowa, it would require a constitutional amendment to correct things. That process is lengthy and laborious.

Even so, with polls showing that 67 percent of Iowans favor a vote on the IMA, and an even greater number favoring one man-one woman marriage, the question is: Why are our elected legislators purposefully blocking the will of the people?

If 1,000 Iowans will spend half a day at a rally seeking to have their voices heard on this topic, then you have the beginnings of a groundswell of citizens who are tired of being ignored.

It is acknowledged that the Legislature has very serious economic issues to confront in a shortened session. But do not buy the argument that this topic would require more than one hour to deal with. LUV Iowa is not requesting the Legislature debate the pros and cons of same-sex marriage. LUV Iowa proponents are requesting that their elected representatives not willfully block the introduction of the Iowa Marriage Amendment so the people themselves can cast ballots concerning it.

Why would any of our state representatives and senators deny Iowans a vote on a bill that two-thirds of Iowans support? Ask your legislator that specific question.

In states where same-sex marriage has been legalized, subsequent regulations mandated what amounts to indoctrination in the school and workplace without regard to a person's religious or conscience-based objections.

Some things the LUV campaign is not about: bigotry; homophobia; phobia implies “fear” and to disagree or disapprove of something is not to fear it; civil rights, discrimination on the basis of race, color or creed is never right - disagreement over a chosen behavior is not discrimination.

For more information, go to LUVIowa.com.

Ron Telecky of Mount Vernon is a marriage and family counselor who is retired from a career in corrections with the federal government.