Married Couples REQUIRED to Have Kids?

I recently read an article titled "Wash. initiative would require married couples to have kids". It states:

Initiative 957 was filed by the Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance.

Under the initiative, marriage would be limited to men and women who are able to have children. Couples would be required to prove they can have children in order to get a marriage license, and if they did not have children within three years, their marriage would be subject to annulment.

My initial reaction was "what the hell?!"

But, here’s the rest of the story:

This organization hopes to challenge a 2006 Washington Supreme Court’s ruling which states: a "legitimate state interest" allows the Legislature to limit marriage to those couples able to have and raise children together. Because of this "legitimate state interest," it is permissible to bar same-sex couples from legal marriage.

WA-DOMA organizer Gregory Gadow stated: "If same-sex couples should be barred from marriage because they can not have children together, it follows that all couples who cannot or will not have children together should equally be barred from marriage."

Hmmm. Personally, I do think they kind of have a point there. If that’s the basis the state is using for barring same-sex marriages...

But even the WA-DOMA admits that the initiative is absurd and if passed would be struck down as unconstitutional, which would in turn weaken the Supreme Court’s previous ruling.

It’s an interesting approach that this organization is taking, and it will definitely get people talking about the subject.

Click HERE to read the entire article. Then click HERE to read more about the Washington Defense of Marriage Alliance and what they have planned next.