Missouri’s legal definition of spouse is being challenged in court after the surviving “partner” of a deceased police officer filed a lawsuit seeking death benefits. The benefits are being denied under state law because of Missouri’s definition of “spouse” as being either a man or a woman. The lawsuit involves two homosexual men. Their attorney argues that the two men had a long-term relationship and that the surviving man should receive survivor benefits.
The Missouri case is similar to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) case, which will be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court March 27. DOMA restricts the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions performed in those states where they are legal. The case deals with Edith Windsor, who was required to pay $363,000 in estate taxes in 2009 upon the death of her partner, Thea Spyer. The two had lived together for more than 40 years and had “married” in Canada in 2007. Because of DOMA, which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, the “marriage” was not recognized in legal terms, even though their home state of New York did.
If the U.S. Supreme Court finds DOMA to be unconstitutional, Missouri’s marriage law will be null and void.
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Most newspapers use the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook to be consistent in the way terms are spelled and used in articles. For example, there are guidelines among its hundreds of pages on how to abbreviate the states (Missouri is Mo.). Other entries explain the proper way terms should be used, such as when you use “Mr., Mrs.” or “Ms.” The AP Stylebook has been long considered the style “bible” for those interested in a professional journalistic presentation.
We have tried to follow it at The Pathway and will continue to do so – to an extent. In February the editors of the AP Stylebook, acting politically correct, changed the entry on “husband and wife,” stating both are now acceptable “in all references to individuals in any legally recognized marriage. Spouse or partner may be used if requested.”
“The AP has never had a Stylebook entry on the question of the usage of husband and wife,” said AP Senior Managing Editor for U.S. News Mike Oreskes. “All the previous conversation was in the absence of such a formal entry. This lays down clear and simple usage.”
Two points: This means that in all secular newspapers, the terms “husband” and “wife” are now used whether the spouses are male, female or of the same sex. That’s right, two lesbians, if “married,” may be referred to as a “husband” if one so desires. The liberal news media, long supporters of homosexual marriage, are now formally incorporating biased, homosexual-friendly language in supposedly “fair and balanced” news stories. This obviously flies in the face of God. What we all once considered immoral, if not insane, is now “the new normal” for the Associated Press and the American secular news media.
My other point: The Pathway will not comply. The Bible clearly states that the husband is to be a man and the wife is to be a woman. The Bible is our AP Stylebook.
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Missouri’s new constitutional amendment protecting prayer that was overwhelmingly approved by voters in August has withstood its first court challenge. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sued the Missouri Department of Corrections on behalf of two inmates, arguing that the ballot summary explaining the amendment to voters failed to say how it would impact prisoners. Part of the amendment states that religious rights of inmates are limited to federal law, which provides fewer protections than Missouri law, it was argued. But a federal judge disagreed in February and dismissed the case.
It is not known if the ACLU will appeal or wait for another lawsuit to be filed. Legal challenges were one of the arguments opponents of the amendment used to try to dissuade voters from approving it. Lawmakers who crafted the amendment should be lauded for not letting liberal lawyers derail the legislative process. Expect more legal challenges to the amendment which protects public prayer and allows students to avoid assignments that violate their religious beliefs.