Ten states have joined in filing an
amicus brief in support of gay marriage bans in Wisconsin and
Indiana.
The states are urging the 7th
Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago to uphold restrictive marriage
bans in two challenges to be heard before the court on Tuesday.
Lower court rulings handed down in June
led to brief windows of marriage equality in each state.
The states argue that allowing gay
couples to marry could weaken the marriages of heterosexual couples
by reducing marriage to a “status symbol.”
“The only question before the court
is whether a rational person can believe that redefining marriage, so
as to belittle it to no more that a status symbol or a congratulatory
certificate, could damage the institution's longstanding and
undisputed role in helping to encourage opposite-sex couples to stay
together to raise the children they create? Yes, it is eminently
reasonable for States to be cautious when redefining marriage,” the
document states.
States involved in the brief include
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, South Dakota and Utah.