President Barack Obama on Wednesday
applauded the Supreme Court's decision declaring the Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional.
In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that
the law, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing the
legal marriages of gay and lesbian couples, violates the Fifth
Amendment rights of gay couples.
(Related: Gay
plaintiffs triumph at Supreme Court: DOMA struck down, Prop 8
dismissed.)
“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.”