WASHINGTON - "The institution of marriage is the foundation of the family and must be protected," said Congressman Zach Wamp on Thursday at a conference rolling out The Protection of Marriage Act.
He said, "A bedrock principle in the United States of America is the idea of majority rule. We cannot allow a small minority of Americans and activist judges to dictate their views on the overwhelming majority who believe marriage should be defined as between one man and one woman.
"The world is watching, and one of the reasons that people who live under theocratic rule believe that the U.S. is corrupt is that we profess to be a virtuous people, yet we are normalizing the homosexual lifestyle.
"If the courts are allowed to legitimize homosexual marriage, it will represent a quantum leap in the wrong direction both in terms of our traditions and our reputation throughout the world. Most Americans support traditional marriage, and we in Congress, the people's representatives, must stand up for them."
The Protection of Marriage Act would strengthen the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996 by preventing federal courts from ordering states to recognize same-sex marriages, he said.
The House was scheduled to vote today on the legislation.