    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [May 17, 2004]
    [Page 893]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

     Statement Calling for a Constitutional Amendment Defining and
    Protecting Marriage
     May 17, 2004

         The sacred institution of marriage should not be redefined by a few
    activist judges. All Americans have a right to be heard in this debate.
    I called on the Congress to pass and to send to the States for
    ratification an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting
    marriage as a union of a man and a woman as husband and wife. The need
    for that amendment is still urgent, and I repeat that call today.