Thursday, April 10, 2014

The Human Wreckage Caused by Amendment One

Soon after Amendment One banning gay marriage went into effect in North Carolina, it was challenged on constitutional grounds in federal court, but that case has stagnated in the Middle District (Greensboro) because Judge William Osteen appears to be waiting for the Fourth Circuit to make a decision about the Virginia ban on gay marriage, which was struck down by another federal judge in February. A Fourth Circuit ruling on Virginia could well also render unconstitutional North Carolina's hateful law.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed yesterday in North Carolina for an expedited decision, asking the judge to order North Carolina to recognize marriages performed in other states and to throw out its law that allows only one partner of unmarried couples to adopt.

Because ... of this, situations like that of Esmeralda Mejia and Christina Ginter-Mejia, a Hickory couple who were married in Maryland and who have a seven-year-old son. Here are the facts that prompted the ACLU to seek expedited legal relief for this and other North Carolina couples.

Because of North Carolina's inhumane and unconstitutional Amendment One, the couple's marriage is not recognized, nor are they both legally recognized as parents of the seven-year-old. Only Christina is recognized by NC law as a parent, while Esmeralda is "a legal stranger in her son's life," according to the ACLU.

Esmeralda is "a retired Army major and decorated Desert Storm veteran and has fought cancer for more than 20 years. The disease took part of a lung and three ribs. It also brought on a 2008 liver transplant and forces her to take a heavy battery of drugs." Neither the seven-year-old son nor Christina can receive any of Esmeralda's veteran’s or Social Security benefits as long as North Carolina doesn’t recognize the marriage.

Is there anything "Christian" about that?

Esmeralda fears that her next visit to the emergency room may be her last, and of course she worries about the future of her family.

While Judge Osteen waits for the Fourth Circuit to act, and we all hold our breath for what that court might decide, real North Carolina lives are hanging in the balance. The ACLU is saying, "These people can't afford to wait."

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't see how anyone who claims to be a Christian could treat a family in this way. Do Christians not care about the struggles of this family and the fact that child is being told that his is not a "normal" family?

Anonymous said...

Any Christian would know that homsexuality is not accepted in their faith. Yes the Bible says to love all including sinners but it also states that homosexuality is an abomination and cannot be tolerated. Yes this family needs care but the dyke should have married a man, like the good Lord made her too, who would financially support her. It doesn't matter anyways.The Lord will justify on judgement day.

Anonymous said...

I can't decide if the comment left by Anonymous 9:35 is a parody or for real. Sadly, I think that the writer might actually believe what they wrote.

The Bible talks about a lot of abominations, including dietary restrictions like not eating shellfish and grooming practices like keeping beards. And then there's the abomination of opressing the poor and needy (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%2018:10-18:13&version=KJV) - I don't hear much talk about that from the far right these days.

Why single out homosexuality among all these things? The irony is that the people who do that are usually the people who know the least about the Bible, who listen blindly to what a pastor (who may or may not be all that wise or holy himself) says rather than reading and studying in depth the words of the Lord. Given that forgiveness trumps all I think anyone concerned about judgement day would do well to ponder this verse: "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+4:32&version=KJV)

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 9:34pm

You need to crawl back into the insulated bunker you climbed out of. Who are you to say who these people should marry? You are as vicious and close-minded as your Taliban-brethren. You interpret the Bible for your own judgmental purposes. A broader reading list and world view is where your salvation lies. Good luck with your own judgement day — you'll need it.

Ruth said...

May the peace of Christ heal your diseased mind.

johnbyjohn said...

Anonymous 6:40 am - please don't feed the trolls! I am about 95% confident that Anonymous 9:34's post is a parody of the typical right-wing response to a thread like this. If not, we're all in deep doo doo!