Marriage Debate Heats Up

North Carolina Family Policy Council

This week, parties on both sides of the debate over the definition of marriage in North Carolina have taken to the airwaves and gone before the general public to make the case for and against the Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA), which the General Assembly recently voted to place before voters on the 2012 primary ballot.

On September 19, Rep. Dale Folwell (R-Forsyth), Speaker Pro Tempore of the North Carolina House of Representatives debated Alex Miller, Interim Director of Equality North Carolina, on WFAE 90.7 FM’s “Charlotte Talks” on the merits of the proposed amendment. While Miller argued that homosexual “marriage” was a right that should not be put up to a vote, Rep. Folwell pointed out that the people of North Carolina deserve the opportunity to protect the definition of marriage by placing it in the State Constitution, as the voters of 30 other states have done.

Wednesday, the marriage debate traveled to the campus of UNC’s School of Law, where an opponent of the Marriage Protection Amendment, House Minority Whip Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland) faced House Majority Leader Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam (R-Wake), one of the amendment’s primary supporters.

Over the course of the hour-long debate, Representatives Stam and Glazier responded to questions from UNC Law Professor Michael Gerhardt, who moderated the debate. Rep. Glazier was quick to paint the marriage amendment as a civil rights issue and called the amendment “one of the most personally intrusive and extreme laws in the country.” Rep. Stam responded with a thorough defense of the Marriage Protection Amendment, pointing out that by definition, marriage is an exclusive institution and that “everyone in this room puts some limit on whom can marry whom.” Further, he warned that redefining marriage would harm society and open up the doors for further redefinition in the future, such as the legalization of polygamy.

The Marriage Protection Amendment will go before voters in the first primary election of 2012. While primaries usually occur in May, the new redistricting maps must be approved before the election can be held, which many have speculated will delay the date of the primary.

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This story was posted by permission of the North Carolina Family Policy Council.

See video of debate between Rep. Paul Stam (R-Wake) and Rep. Rick Glazier (D-Cumberland) click here