[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 23 (Monday, June 12, 2006)]
[Pages 1073-1074]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's Radio Address

June 3, 2006

    Good morning. Next week, the United States Senate will begin debate 
on a constitutional amendment that defines marriage in the United States 
as the union of a man and woman. On Monday, I will meet with a coalition 
of community leaders, constitutional scholars, family and civic 
organizations, and religious leaders. They're Republicans, Democrats, 
and independents who've come together to support this amendment. Today I 
want to explain why I support the marriage protection amendment, and why 
I'm urging

[[Page 1074]]

Congress to pass it and send it to the States for ratification.
    Marriage is the most enduring and important human institution, 
honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith. 
Ages of experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and a 
wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children 
and the stability of society. Marriage cannot be cut off from its 
cultural, religious, and natural roots without weakening this good 
influence on society. Government, by recognizing and protecting 
marriage, serves the interests of all.
    In our free society, people have the right to choose how they live 
their lives. And in a free society, decisions about such a fundamental 
social institution as marriage should be made by the people, not by the 
courts. The American people have spoken clearly on this issue, both 
through their Representatives and at the ballot box. In 1996, Congress 
approved the Defense of Marriage Act by overwhelming bipartisan 
majorities in both the House and Senate, and President Clinton signed it 
into law. And since then, voters in 19 States have approved amendments 
to their State constitutions that protect the traditional definition of 
marriage. And today, 45 of the 50 States have either a State 
constitutional amendment or statute defining marriage as the union of a 
man and a woman. These amendments and laws express a broad consensus in 
our country for protecting the institution of marriage.
    Unfortunately, activist judges and some local officials have made an 
aggressive attempt to redefine marriage in recent years. Since 2004, 
State courts in Washington, California, Maryland, and New York have 
overturned laws protecting marriage in those States. And in Nebraska, a 
Federal judge overturned a State constitutional amendment banning same-
sex marriage.
    These court decisions could have an impact on our whole Nation. The 
Defense of Marriage Act declares that no State is required to accept 
another State's definition of marriage. If that act is overturned by 
activist courts, then marriages recognized in one city or State might 
have to be recognized as marriages everywhere else. That would mean that 
every State would have to recognize marriages redefined by judges in 
Massachusetts or local officials in San Francisco, no matter what their 
own laws or State constitutions say. This national question requires a 
national solution, and on an issue of such profound importance, that 
solution should come from the people, not the courts.
    An amendment to the Constitution is necessary because activist 
courts have left our Nation with no other choice. The constitutional 
amendment that the Senate will consider next week would fully protect 
marriage from being redefined, while leaving State legislatures free to 
make their own choices in defining legal arrangements other than 
marriage. A constitutional amendment is the most democratic solution to 
this issue, because it must be approved by two-thirds of the House and 
Senate and then ratified by three-fourths of the 50 State legislatures.
    As this debate goes forward, we must remember that every American 
deserves to be treated with tolerance, respect, and dignity. All of us 
have a duty to conduct this discussion with civility and decency toward 
one another, and all people deserve to have their voices heard. A 
constitutional amendment will put a decision that is critical to 
American families and American society in the hands of the American 
people, which is exactly where it belongs. Democracy, not court orders, 
should decide the future of marriage in America.
    Thank you for listening.

Note: The address was recorded at 7:30 a.m. on June 2 in the Cabinet 
Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on June 3. The 
transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
June 2 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office of 
the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of this 
address.