Tony Perkins, president of the
Christian conservative Family Research Council (FRC), praised a
federal appeals court ruling upholding gay marriage bans in four
states.
In a split 2-1 decision, a 3-judge
panel of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati upheld bans
in four states: Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.
(Related: Appeals
court upholds gay marriage bans in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky,
Tennessee.)
The court's decision creates a split
between appellate courts, making it likely that the Supreme Court
will consider one, several or all of the cases overturned by the
Sixth Circuit.
“We applaud the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Sixth Circuit for upholding the freedom of the people to
define marriage as the union of a man and woman,” Perkins said in a
statement. “The Sixth Circuit rightly recognizes that the
Constitution does not demand that this modern redefinition of
marriage be forced on the States. The American people simply will
not accept a nationwide redefinition of marriage imposed on them by a
judicial oligarchy. As the debate continues, recent polls and the
election demonstrate that support for marriage redefinition is
stalling as Americans begin to experience and consider the
consequences for religious freedom, free speech, and parental
rights.”
“Where marriage is redefined, parents
are increasingly finding a wedge being driven between them and their
children as school curricula is changed to contradict the morals
parents are teaching their children. And as more and more people
lose their livelihoods because they refuse to not just tolerate but
celebrate same-sex marriage, many Americans are beginning to see that
this is about far more than the marriage alter, but is about
fundamentally altering society,” he added.
The ruling comes a day after the start
of marriages for gay couples in St.
Louis, Missouri.