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Press Release
For immediate release:
August 4, 2004
For more information, contact:
David Urban, (425) 869-4011
King County ruling denies voice of people and needs of children
(Bellevue, WA) Today, King County Superior Court Judge William Downing announced that Washington State's Defense of Marriage Act violates the state Constitution, citing the rationale of state Supreme Courts in Massachusetts and Vermont and pronouncing that the “exclusion of same-sex partners from civil marriage… is not rationally related to any legitimate or compelling state interest.”
Jeff Kemp, Executive Director of Bellevue-based Families Northwest, believes that Washington State does have a compelling interest to keep marriage defined as the union between one man and one woman - the needs of kids and families.
"What's best for kids is being neglected to fulfill the wants of a small minority of adults," said Kemp. "The fundamental nature of marriage is to bring together the complimentarity of the two sexes, particularly for the sake of children. Children fundamentally need both a mom and a dad in their life."
"It's really sad that on a day that the people of Missouri overwhelmingly chose to define marriage as the union between one man and one woman, one judge in Washington State determined that the definition of marriage should be changed."
Families Northwest, a nationally recognized marriage and family strengthening organization, has been actively working with community leaders throughout the Northwest to preserve authentic marriage.
For interviews with Jeff Kemp, please contact David Urban at (425) 869-4011.
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