AFA of PA ACTION ALERT
May 28, 2014
Issue
These Took a Public Stand for Marriage and Are Being Attacked
Details
In the footnote on page 30 of Judge John Jones’ decision last week in which he declared PA’s Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional, he claims that any and all efforts to defend natural marriage by way of a constitutional amendment are discriminatory. Since 2006 there have been several attempts to place a Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA) before the people for a vote.
The past number of legislative sessions, State Representative Daryl Metcalfe has introduced a strong two sentence MPA. This year it was introduced as HB 1349. As homosexual activists have successfully demonized and intimidated legislators, the number of co-sponsors have decreased each year. Representative Metcalfe has been a primary target of homosexual activists and their allies because of his outspoken support for natural marriage. One example of the attacks against him (and all who support natural marriage) is this scathing editorial from the Daily Times in Delaware County last week.
Remember in 1996 our DOMA passed overwhelmingly — 177-16 in the House and in the Senate 43-5. Eight of those voting “yea”, some still current legislators, filed an amicus brief in support of natural marriage in the Whitewood case just decided by Jones. The signers of the brief are current lawmakers : State Rep Matthew E. Baker (R-68th Dist.), State Rep Paul I. Clymer (R-145th Dist.) and State Rep. Jerry A. Stern (R-80th Dist.), and the former lawmakers are Jerry Birmelin, Allan Egolf (the primary sponsor of DOMA), Dennis E. Leh, Samuel E. Rohrer and Thomas F. Yewcic. Judge Jones dismissed their brief in footnote 14 on page 37 as providing inadequate reasoning.
Action Steps
1.) Contact Representative Daryl Metcalfe and thank him for his continued strong stand in the fight to protect natural marriage. Email here or call his district office at (724) 772-3110
2.) If your State Representative is listed as a co-sponsor of this session’s Marriage Protection Amendment – HB 1349 — thank him or her. Here’s the link to all the legislators’ contact info. If you don’t know who your State Rep is, go here and key in your address to find out that info.
3.) Thank the legislators for filing the amicus brief – friend of the court brief – in support of natural marriage and for their continued efforts to protect marriage by again co-sponsoring HB 1349 this session. Here’s the contact info that we have:
State Representative Matthew Baker: Email here or call his district office at 570-724-1390.
State Representative Paul Clymer: Email here or call his district office at 215-257-0279.
State Representative Jerry Stern: Email here or call his district office at (814) 695-2398.
Former State Rep and now President of PA Pastors’ Network— Sam Rohrer. Use the contact form here to thank him.
4.) Consider writing a letter to the editor to your local newspaper in support of marriage, our DOMA and the legislators who have stood to protect marriage. Many newspapers have a limit of 200 words.
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