(AgapePress) - Attacks against marriage are in full swing in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision striking down Texas's anti-sodomy law. Now two homosexual men in Arizona have launched a court challenge to that state's Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) law, which defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

The Alliance Defense Fund is representing State Senator Mark Anderson, who has filed a motion to intervene. ADF Attorney Joshua Carden, who is handling the case, says homosexuals are mistaken in using the Texas court's decision legalizing sodomy as justification to legalize homosexual marriage.

"Any court who reads the case will clearly see it does not stand for the proposition that homosexuals have the right to marry. Marriage has always been recognized and validated as between one man and one woman," Carden says.

Carden does not feel that longstanding marriage laws should be subverted by activists advocating extreme views. "The homosexuals simply cannot legitimately make the argument that they have the fundamental right to marry when they've never had that throughout U.S. history," he says.

A recent CNN/TIME poll finds that over 60% of Americans oppose granting homosexuals the legal privileges and protections of traditional marriage. Less than one-third support the idea, while the rest do not know how they feel. Jim Lafferty of the Traditional Values Coalition says the poll is no surprise to his organization.

"We've long felt that Americans, particularly those who attend church regularly, oppose same-sex marriage. They see it, as we do, as an assault on the most basic institution of our society," Lafferty says.

However, he fears that a negative outcome in another state's ongoing court battle over same-sex marriage could set a dangerous precedent in the 37 states that currently have DOMA laws..

"We feel that the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is going to rule against marriage, and that is going to be the basis for challenges in just about every state. We feel the homosexual activists will go into those states and file suit and try to knock down laws that were passed by the people," Lafferty says.

A decision in the Massachusetts case was expected in mid-July but has yet to be issued.

© 2003 AgapePress all rights reserved.

E-mail this page to a friend Printer-Friendly Version