Family Council Responds to Rejection of Same-Sex Marriage Amendment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
LITTLE ROCK, AR – On Tuesday afternoon, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel rejected a proposed constitutional amendment legalizing same-sex marriage in Arkansas.
Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement, saying, “The Attorney General is responsible for reviewing proposed measures like this one to ensure nothing in them is vague or misleading. He is doing his job, and I believe most Arkansans appreciate that.”
Cox said he does not believe efforts to overturn Arkansas’ ban on same-sex marriage will be successful. “People pushing to legalize same-sex marriage seem to think public opinion has shifted drastically on this issue. The truth is, it’s still right about where it was a few years ago. A recent poll conducted by proponents of same-sex marriage showed most Arkansans don’t want to see marriage redefined. Even if same-sex marriage came up for a vote, I just don’t think public support would be strong enough to pass it.”
Cox said he believes lawsuits filed to overturn same-sex marriage bans in Arkansas and more than a dozen other states indicate same-sex marriage activists do not think they can win at the ballot box. “I think most of the people trying to change the definition of marriage must agree public opinion simply is not in their favor right now. Otherwise we would see them putting stronger support behind constitutional amendments like this one instead of filing lawsuits to get the courts to redefine marriage for them.”
Cox said his group will continue to monitor any efforts to redefine marriage in Arkansas.
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