Preserving Marriage, Protecting Families

Below are quotes from some of the prominent state leaders supporting R-71. Some of these appear on the back page of the R-71 signature petition (we couldn't fit all of them in the limited space available but we wanted to!).

Please continue to support the R-71 effort if at all possible. Our expenses are significant as we have purchased and dispersed nearly 60,000 R-71 petitions around the state. Orders for the petition are still coming in faster than we can send them out. We will likely need to print more petitions very soon. PLEASE contribute to this effort with a donation as soon as possible.

"Concerned Women for America was clearly founded on Judeo-Christian ethics.  As such, with regard to the definition of the family, 'CWA believes the traditional family consists of one man and one woman joined in marriage along with their natural or adopted children.  We seek to protect traditional values that support the Biblical design of the family.'

For several years, the Washington State Legislature has been re-defining or 'expanding' marriage and the family by granting state-registered domestic partners (homosexuals and seniors over 62) the rights, responsibilities and benefits traditionally reserved for married couples.  Throughout human history, the special relationship of marriage between man and woman has been honoured and encouraged through laws meant to protect the institution of family as the bedrock of society.

Referendum 71 to reverse the expansion of marital privileges to unmarried homosexual and senior couples has been filed and the campaign is underway to collect signatures to put the marriage issue on the November 2009 Washington state ballot.  If you are FOR preserving marriage and protecting children, we ask that you join us in the referendum campaign."

-Maureen Richardson, Concerned Women of America of Washington

"One of our greatest founders, George Washington, said it well when he noted, 'We can never expect safety for our nation and disregard the eternal rules of order.' When our country was born over 230 years ago, our Founders made a point of acknowledging His laws in the Declaration of Independence. They understood that God was not only the giver of life, but also of order and standards of behavior, including standards regarding marriage. From the beginning, the Founders understood the importance of traditional marriage-that it is one man and one woman for life- and the dangers of trying to make changes to that standard, like the changes that the law we seek to overturn by this referendum has done.

How we respond to this latest attack on marriage will be a defining moment for Christians and those who believe in traditional values here in Washington State. We cannot afford to let this simply slide by. Future generations will be affected tomorrow by how we act today. Please sign R-71!"
-State Representative Jim McCune

"Please Defend Marriage By Signing This Petition. SB 5688 was presented as a bill about benefits, yet a day after it was passed, those who sponsored the bill told the Seattle press that it was really part of a long term strategy  to re-define marriage and legalize same-sex 'marriage'. The Seattle Times editorial board agreed and said homosexuals should also be given the name 'marriage' as a result of the passage of SB 5688. SB 5688 is the final step. If this bill is allowed to become law, partnerships will be elevated to the level of marriage with no legal difference. The Washington State Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) will be declared  irrelevant and same-sex 'marriage' will be imposed on Washington State through the courts."

"SB 5688 is an attempt to deconstruct marriage as it has existed throughout all human history. This unique and exceptional relationship  that connects a man and a woman to a child, genetically, is the cornerstone of every successful society in human history and is the master plan of the Creator. There is no other relationship that meets this criteria for marriage.  Only natural marriage provides generational sustainability. Please defend marriage by signing the R-71 petition."
-Gary Randall, Faith and Freedom Network and Foundation

"A domestic partnership diverts rights and resources from a family to an unrelated adult.  These include benefits for dependent children, end of life decisions by older children for elderly parents, and inheritance rights of all surviving family members, just to name a few. The homosexual community emphasizes the fact that they have biological children, yet no child is ever produced by a same sex relationship.  There is always an opposite sex partner involved and they can lose their rights as well. Please support genuine marriage and sign R-71!"
- Senator Dan Swecker

"At the founding of our country we made the conscious decision to promote marriage between one man and one woman above all other legal unions because of its inherent value to children and society.  Signing R-71 will help us preserve that decision for another generation."
-State Representative Matt Shea

"Please sign R-71 right away. SB 5688 is bad legislation for marriage, children, the public schools and the economy. It's a back-door way of legislating homosexuality marriage without the name--which will be next. That step would legitimize immoral behavior-- forcing many families and their children to leave the public schools, and costing the state millions of dollars on a crazy social experiment. People are free to live with anybody they want--but they don't have the right to change the bedrock of society--marriage--between a man and woman, producing, protecting, and nurturing children. We need to honor and strengthen marriage--not re-define it."
-Ron Boehme, US Renewal

"SB 5688 was packaged and presented to the legislature as a Domestic Partnerships expansion of benefits. In truth, it will demolish the state's historical understanding and definition of marriage as Washington will immediately become subject to litigation by same-sex partners demanding the courts overturn our state's Defense of Marriage Act and impose "same-sex marriage" (as happened recently in California prior to Proposition 8).  By signing Referendum 71, we will bring this society changing measure before the people of Washington State and let them make this monumental decision in November."
-Larry Stickney, Washington Values Alliance