Unless you have been living under a rock for the past week, you most likely know what N.C. Amendment One is or have at least seen the yellow shirts everyone has been sporting that are against the legislation.
If you don’t know what it is, NC Amendment One is a constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and woman. The act passed through Congress last Fall and Congress decided to put it on the May primary ballot to see what North Carolinians think. The amendment has been a hot topic of debate among everyone from college students to the elderly.
According to WRAL, supporters of Amendment One say marriage is not a right guaranteed by law but is something “created by God.” These supporters want marriage to be what is considered “traditional” because if marriage is not defined by law currently, then some sort of legislation should be passed to make sure it stays between a man and a woman.
In protest of the amendment, anti-Amendment One-ers say that it would hurt families because the amendment bans recognition of any families with gay parents. The amendment does not recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships, which could result in problems like custody battles for the children of parents who have these arrangements. There is also the issue of couples being protected from domestic violence.
Another problem that the anti-Amendment One side argues regarding the family is that children of gay or lesbian couples will be bullied more at school because it will be unlawful for their parents to get married. Also, Protect NC Families says that children with gay or lesbian parents would also not be able to have the same health care coverage rights as other children who have unmarried parents. Unmarried parents who have been living together for a certain amount of time can gain these advantages but if a child’s parents cannot have those benefits, the parents nor the children will be able to have that coverage.
There is also support against Amendment One from Obama. According to Cameron French, Obama’s North Carolina campaign spokesman, Obama supports all forms of marriage and does not want to limit rights for same sex couples because he believes in rights for everyone. The News and Observer reports that many protesters of the amendment feel the same way and think that this amendment is “holding back change” in North Carolina.
For a good summary of why many people are against Amendment One, see the NC Amendment One Musical done by a group of students from Charlotte, North Carolina.
Now that you know the pros and cons of NC Amendment One, don’t forget to go out and vote on May 8th or, more conveniently, vote early on campus, where you can register and vote at the same time.
Sources:
This Amendment Harms Children; Protect NC Familes; http://www.protectallncfamilies.org/sites/protectncfamilies/files/All_ChldOneSheet_01_0308.pdf.
This Amendment Harms Families; Protect NC Families; http://www.protectncfamilies.org/sites/protectncfamilies/files/All_FamOneSheet_01_0320b.pdf.
N.C. House OKs Amendment Banning Gay Marriage; The News and Observer; http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/13/1483783/house-oks-amendment-banning-gay.html.
Supporters of NC Amendment One (photo): The News and Observer; http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/09/13/1483783/house-oks-amendment-banning-gay.html.
Obama Opposes N.C. Marriage Amendment Proposal; The Charlotte Observer; http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/03/16/3102890/obama-opposes-amendment-one.html.
WRAL news poll: N.C. Marriage Amendment has Widespread Support; WRAL; http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/10886134/.
NC Amendment One The Musical (photo): NYU Local; http://nyulocal.com/on-campus/2012/01/26/nyu-sophomore-protests-nc-amendment-one-with-new-musical/.
Amendment One Protesters (photo): The New York Times; http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/us/north-carolina-voters-to-decide-on-same-sex-marriage.html?_r=1#.