Crucial FMA vote approaches in U.S. House;
most of Missouri delegation likely to support it
Allen Palmeri
Staff Writer
August 31, 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. – If they vote the way they did in July on the Marriage Protection Act, two-thirds of Missouri’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives will vote for the Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA). Debate on the FMA is scheduled to begin the week of Sept. 20.
The Marriage Protection Act, which would prevent federal courts from legalizing same-sex “marriage” nationwide, was passed July 22 by the House, 233-194. Voting for the measure were: Rep. Todd Akin, R-St. Louis; Sam Graves, R-Tarkio; Roy Blunt, R-Strafford; Ike Skelton, D-Lexington; Jo Emerson, R-Cape Girardeau; and Kenny Hulshof, R-Columbia. Voting against the bill: William Clay, D-St. Louis; Richard Gephardt, D-St. Louis; and Karen McCarthy, D-Kansas City.
The Marriage Protection Act vote was intended to get representatives on the record as to how they will likely vote on the FMA, Akin said. It also served as a gauge for pro-family groups to determine how intense their lobbying efforts of House members should be in order to gain passage of the FMA. The marriage amendment requires a two-thirds “yes” vote (290 in the House) for passage.
FMA supporters failed to get the necessary two-thirds in the Senate in June. However, supporters say they achieved one goal: it forced senators to officially disclose their position on the issue so voters know where each one stands prior to the Nov. 2 election.
As a prelude to the House vote, a “Battle for Marriage” rally set for Sept. 19 is meant to inform and mobilize Christians on the issue of biblical marriage. The rally will be in three locations, with First Baptist Church, Springdale, Ark., serving as the base site. James Dobson, founder, Focus on the Family, will join First Springdale pastor Ronnie Floyd at the First Springdale rally.
Shadow Mountain Community Church in San Diego and an undetermined location in Washington D.C. are the other spots. David Jeremiah is pastor of Shadow Mountain. In Washington, D.C., Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberties Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council are scheduled to speak.
At the Republican National Convention in New York, more than 4,000 delegates and alternates received a book by Peter Sprigg, director of the Family Research Council’s Center for Marriage and Family Studies, called OUTRAGE: How Gay Activists and Liberal Judges are Trashing Democracy to Redefine Marriage. In the book, Sprigg shows what needs to be done to preserve biblical marriage and biblical families.