Reader’s view: Liberals and conservatives can oppose marriage ban

The marriage amendment on the November ballot provides a rare opportunity for liberals and conservatives to agree on an issue and to work together for the same goal: assuring the amendment is defeated.

Some of the arguments for voting “no” appeal primarily to social liberals. For example, many liberals oppose the amendment because they recognize it would deny the right to marry for some couples while preserving the right for others. Liberals may argue the amendment should be defeated on the basis of fairness, compassion or equal rights. All of these are good arguments and will lead many liberals to vote against the amendment’s passage.

However, social conservatives may have equally good reasons for opposing the marriage amendment. The marriage amendment expands government intrusion into private lives. With its passage, government will be involved in the most private decisions of our neighbors, including who they can form families with and the security of their lifetime commitments to each other. Moreover, many conservatives feel that families — not individuals — are the basic building blocks of society, and that lifetime-

committed family relationships contribute to a more stable and secure community. Other conservatives oppose the marriage amendment simply because of their respect for freedom and their belief in small government.

Defeating the marriage amendment will not make marriage legal for same-sex couples in Minnesota. The laws of the state will not change. But defeating the marriage amendment will leave the door open for future legislation that could enable all Minnesotans to honor their lifetime commitments to each other through marriage and to fulfill their sacred duties to care for each other in sickness and in health, ’til death do them part.

Please join us — and our liberal and conservative neighbors — in defeating the marriage amendment.

Barbara A. Stark

Duluth

Charles E. Gessert

Duluth

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