Bush's speech on Marriage Protection Amendment

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英语演讲稿

Goodmorning.Nextweek,theUnitedStatesSenatewillbegindebateonaconstitutionalamendmentthatdefinesmarriageintheUnitedStatesastheunionofamanandwoman.OnMonday,Iwillmeetwithacoalitionofcommunityleaders,constitutionalscholars,familyandcivicorganizations,andreligiousleaders.They''''reRepublicans,Democrats,andindependentswho''''vecometogethertosupportthisamendment.Today,IwanttoexplainwhyIsupporttheMarriageProtectionAmendment,andwhyI''''murgingCongresstopassitandsendittothestatesforratification.

Marriageisthemostenduringandimportanthumaninstitution,honoredandencouragedinallculturesandbyeveryreligiousfaith.Agesofexperiencehavetaughtusthatthecommitmentofahusbandanda公务员之家版权所有wifetoloveandtoserveoneanotherpromotesthewelfareofchildrenandthestabilityofsociety.Marriagecannotbecutofffromitscultural,religious,andnaturalrootswithoutweakeningthisgoodinfluenceonsociety.Government,byrecognizingandprotectingmarriage,servestheinterestsofall.

Inourfreesociety,peoplehavetherighttochoosehowtheylivetheirlives.Andinafreesociety,decisionsaboutsuchafundamentalsocialinstitutionasmarriageshouldbemadebythepeople--notbythecourts.TheAmericanpeoplehavespokenclearlyonthisissue,boththroughtheirrepresentativesandattheballotbox.In1996,CongressapprovedtheDefenseofMarriageActbyoverwhelmingbipartisanmajoritiesinboththeHouseandSenate,andPresidentClintonsigneditintolaw.Andsincethen,votersin19stateshaveapprovedamendmentstotheirstateconstitutionsthatprotectthetraditionaldefinitionofmarriage.Andtoday,45ofthe50stateshaveeitherastateconstitutionalamendmentorstatutedefiningmarriageastheunionofamanandawoman.Theseamendmentsandlawsexpressabroadconsensusinourcountryforprotectingtheinstitutionofmarriage.

Unfortunately,activistjudgesandsomelocalofficialshavemadeanaggressiveattempttoredefinemarriageinrecentyears.Since2004,statecourtsinWashington,California,Maryland,andNewYorkhaveoverturnedlawsprotectingmarriageinthosestates.AndinNebraska,afederaljudgeoverturnedastateconstitutionalamendmentbanningsame-sexmarriage.

ThesecourtdecisionscouldhaveanimpactonourwholeNation.TheDefenseofMarriageActdeclaresthatnostateisrequiredtoacceptanotherstate''''sdefinitionofmarriage.Ifthatactisoverturnedbyactivistcourts,thenmarriagesrecognizedinonecityorstatemighthavetoberecognizedasmarriageseverywhereelse.ThatwouldmeanthateverystatewouldhavetorecognizemarriagesredefinedbyjudgesinMassachusettsorlocalofficialsinSanFrancisco,nomatterwhattheirownlawsorstateconstitutionssay.Thisnationalquestionrequiresanationalsolution,andonanissueofsuchprofoundimportance,thatsolutionshouldcomefromthepeople,notthecourts.

AnamendmenttotheConstitutionisnecessarybecauseactivistcourtshaveleftourNationwithnootherchoice.TheconstitutionalamendmentthattheSenatewillconsidernextweekwouldfullyprotectmarriagefrombeingredefined,whileleavingstatelegislaturesfreetomaketheirownchoicesindefininglegalarrangementsotherthanmarriage.Aconstitutionalamendmentisthemostdemocraticsolutiontothisissue,becauseitmustbeapprovedbytwo-thirdsoftheHouseandSenateandthenratifiedbythree-fourthsofthe50statelegislatures.

Asthisdebategoesforward,wemustrememberthateveryAmericandeservestobetreatedwithtolerance,respect,anddignity.Allofushaveadutytoconductthisdiscussionwithcivilityanddecencytowardoneanother,andallpeopledeservetohavetheirvoicesheard.AconstitutionalamendmentwillputadecisionthatiscriticaltoAmericanfamiliesandAmericansocietyin公务员之家版权所有thehandsoftheAmericanpeople,whichisexactlywhereitbelongs.Democracy,notcourtorders,shoulddecidethefutureofmarriageinAmerica.

Thankyouforlistening.