February 25, 2004

ENSIGN BACKS AMENDMENT ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign said today that he will support an amendment to the United States Constitution defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman only. Ensign said such an amendment is necessary to protect the institution of marriage in America.

“Sadly, the effort to redefine marriage against the wishes of a majority of the people is, with help from activist judges, succeeding,” Ensign said. “In order to defend the institution of marriage, uphold the rights of individual states, and maintain the will of the people, I believe we are compelled to amend our country’s constitution.”

Ensign said he still believes that amending the constitution should never be done lightly and that tolerance for gay people and their privacy must be maintained.

“The effort to pass a constitutional amendment reaffirming marriage as being between a man and a woman only is being undertaken strictly as a defense of marriage against the attempt to redefine it and, in the process, weaken it,” Ensign said. “Marriage is an extremely important institution in this country and protecting it is, in my mind, worth the extraordinary step of amending our constitution.”

Communications Director Rebecca Fisher 119 Russell Senate Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Tel: (202) 224-6244

Nevada Press Secretary Sari Mann 333 Las Vegas Boulevard South Las Vegas, Nevada 89101 Tel: (702) 388-6605