Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
President Obama issued the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court decisions on same-sex marriage today. Statement by the President on the Supreme Court Ruling on the Defense of Marriage Act:
I applaud the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the Defense of
Marriage Act. This was discrimination enshrined in law. It treated
loving, committed gay and lesbian couples as a separate and lesser class
of people. The Supreme Court has righted that wrong, and our country
is better off for it. We are a people who declared that we are all
created equal – and the love we commit to one another must be equal as
well.This ruling is a victory for couples who have long fought for equal
treatment under the law; for children whose parents’ marriages will now
be recognized, rightly, as legitimate; for families that, at long last,
will get the respect and protection they deserve; and for friends and
supporters who have wanted nothing more than to see their loved ones
treated fairly and have worked hard to persuade their nation to change
for the better.
So we welcome today’s decision, and I’ve directed the Attorney
General to work with other members of my Cabinet to review all relevant
federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for
Federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.
On an issue as sensitive as this, knowing that Americans hold a wide
range of views based on deeply held beliefs, maintaining our nation’s
commitment to religious freedom is also vital. How religious
institutions define and consecrate marriage has always been up to those
institutions. Nothing about this decision – which applies only to civil
marriages – changes that.
The laws of our land are catching up to the fundamental truth that
millions of Americans hold in our hearts: when all Americans are
treated as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love, we are all
more free.